Albertino Mussato facts for kids

Albertino Mussato (1261–1329) was an important person from Padua. He was a statesman (a leader in government), a poet, a historian, and a playwright. He helped bring back the use of the Latin language in literature. People see him as an early humanist, which means he was interested in classical learning from ancient Greece and Rome. His teacher, Lovato Lovati, who was also a poet and early humanist from Padua, greatly influenced him. Mussato, in turn, influenced many later humanists, including Petrarch.

As a member of Padua's council, Mussato served as an ambassador, acting as a messenger between Padua and Emperor Henry VII. He was part of a group of Latin poets in Padua. Mussato is famous for his Latin play called Ecerinis. This play was about the harsh rule of Ezzelino III da Romano. It was the first non-religious tragedy written since ancient Roman times. Because of this, it's seen as the first Italian tragedy that fits the style of the Renaissance. Ecerinis is important not just for its historical information, but also because it copied the style of ancient Roman tragedies, showing an early interest in bringing back classical works and their forms. This was a key part of the humanist movement.

Mussato was honored as a Poet Laureate because of the literary and political importance of his play. He was one of the first people to receive this special title after the classical age. Mussato also wrote many letters, poems, and historical works. One of his historical works was a record of Emperor Henry VII's actions in Italy. Besides his many writings, he also strongly supported poetry. He defended it in 1317 during a debate with a Dominican friar named Giovannino of Mantua.

Biography

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Albertino Mussato was born in Padua in 1261, in the Gazzo area. He was born around the time grapes are picked, usually between September and November. We know a lot about Mussato's life from a poem he wrote in 1317 called De Celebratione Suae Diei Nativitatis Fienda Vel Non (which means "Whether His Birthday Ought to Be Celebrated or Not"). He was the oldest of his siblings, with two younger brothers and one younger sister. His father, Giovanni Cavalieri, worked as a court messenger. Mussato started using the last name Muso when he was young. He probably did this to honor Viviano Muso, who protected the Cavalieri family and was Mussato's godfather.

By 1276 or 1277, Viviano Muso had died, leaving Mussato's family in poverty. Mussato had to support his family, so he started working by copying books for students. Later, he began working in the Paduan law courts as a notary. His first official document was for Amerina Muso, Viviano Muso's widow. However, he didn't have a formal education, so he couldn't become a judge and remained a notary. Around this time, Mussato likely began studying under Lovato Lovati.

Throughout the 1280s and 1290s, Mussato continued his notary work. He became well-known for doing his duties very skillfully. However, in his poem De Celebratione, he said he felt he didn't deserve such praise. Despite this, because of his good reputation, Mussato was made a knight. He became a member of Padua's Consiglio Maggiore (Great Council) and was chosen to be a miles pro commune (a knight for the city) in 1296, when he was just 35 years old.

In 1294, he married Mabilia Lemici. She was the daughter of Guglielmo Dente Lemici. Mussato later moved to the area where the Lemici family lived. He became the legal guardian of Guglielmo II after Vitaliano, Guglielmo Lemici's son, died in 1310.

Padua and Diplomacy

Ambassador to Pope Boniface VIII

Mussato's first known political role was in 1297 as the Podestà (chief magistrate) of Lendinara. But his first important political job was around 1300. His first mission was to be an ambassador to Pope Boniface VIII. He likely went to try and get the Pope to control the Inquisition happening in Padua. During Mussato's visit, the abbot of Santa Giustina died, leading to a disagreement over who should be the next abbot. Mussato used his time as ambassador to influence the Pope's decision. He promoted his brother, Gualpertino, for the role. Vitaliano Lemici also spent a lot of money to support Gualpertino. The issue was finally settled on February 17, 1300. Pope Boniface announced in a letter that Gualpertino was the new abbot of Santa Giustina. In April 1301, Mussato was sent to Florence for six months as the "Executor of Judicial Ordinances."

Ambassador to Emperor Henry VII

Mussato was later sent on four missions to Emperor Henry VII. On his first mission, Mussato was part of the Paduan group that went to Henry VII's coronation in Milan in early January 1311. On his second trip to Henry VII, Mussato was the main ambassador. His job was to negotiate Padua's independence. Some conditions were set for Padua. The city would have an Imperial Vicar, chosen by the Emperor, instead of its own Podestà. Padua also had to pay money to the Emperor and his court sometimes.

However, the people of Padua were unhappy with these conditions. They were also worried about the favor shown to Cangrande della Scala of Verona. They saw him as a new tyrant like Ezzelino III da Romano. The Paduans rejected the conditions and prepared their city for defense. Vicenza, which Padua had controlled for a while, used this chance to join della Scala and break free from Padua on April 15. Fearing for their independence and possible punishment from the Emperor, the Paduans decided the conditions were acceptable. They sent Mussato and his colleagues to meet the Emperor again. This resulted in compensation for those who suffered losses in the Vicentini revolt. Padua officially joined the Holy Roman Empire on June 16, 1311. Mussato's last mission to Henry was to solve property disputes between Paduans and Vicentini. But he soon left the Emperor's camp with only a note about the matter. This was because the Emperor's campaign to Rome was stuck and seemed endless.

Exile and Death

In April 1314, there was a big uprising against Padua's rulers. Mussato was forced to escape to the village of Vigodarzere. But he was soon allowed to return. Mussato wrote at the time that the fight was between the Carraresi and the Altichini families. However, Giacomo da Carrara wrote to a nearby town that the conflict was between him and Mussato. Mussato was later forced into exile in the spring of 1318. This happened when Niccolò da Carrara attacked Gualpertino. Gualpertino first fled to the Lemici family's palace. Then he went to the castle of Treville with his brother, Mussato, where they felt safer. The Carrara family permanently banished Mussato in 1325. He died four years later in Chioggia on May 31, at the age of 68.

Politics

Developing His Political Ideas

As he got older, Mussato became much more important in politics. Not just in Padua, but also across Italy. Often seen as a patriot, Mussato was a leading early humanist. He feared tyranny and preferred a republic (a government where citizens elect leaders). He became an important political writer later in his life. Born in Padua, Mussato was greatly influenced by his mentor, Lovato Lovati, who was also from Padua. Lovati helped shape Mussato's political ideas. These ideas came from Lovati's own experiences living in Padua during the harsh rule of Ezzelino da Romano. These experiences deeply affected Lovati, which then influenced Mussato to share his own views on monarchies ruled by powerful lords.

Through Lovati's teachings, Mussato also played a big role in influencing his friend, Marsilius of Padua, a political philosopher. During Mussato's time in Padua, he and his friends often met to discuss their ideas. They helped spread the ideas of humanism across Italy. This helped make humanism an important moral and political system in Padua and other parts of Northern Italy in the early 1300s. After retiring from his legal career, Mussato began to focus on political life. He held many positions in the Paduan government. He eventually served in the Great Council of Padua. Mussato was also involved in many diplomatic missions for Padua, including the coronation of Henry VIII in Milan in 1312.

Mussato and Other Thinkers

Mussato learned from other scholars across Italy to form his own political views. As he developed his political goals, his writings became more focused on politics. This made him better at convincing other scholars to follow his beliefs. Mussato and other political writers often expressed great doubt about monarchies ruled by powerful lords during their regular council meetings. More than 50 years after Ezzelino da Romano's rule ended, Mussato and other early humanists still feared the threat of another tyrant, Cangrande della Scala. They tried to save Padua's communal government. Mussato often said that his fellow citizens were trying to protect their "res publica" (republic) and their community's freedom against the challenge from the della Scala family.

Political Impact of His Works

Mussato wrote many works during his career. These included pieces about important people in his life, like Lovati and Marsilius. He also wrote various historical works with subtle political messages, such as Augusta de Gestis de Henrici VII. He used political tragedies from the past (like those by Seneca) to strengthen his political arguments. However, all these works had less political impact compared to Ecerinis. After being inspired by his imprisonment, experiences, and earlier writings, he wrote Ecerinis.

This most famous work of Mussato contained writings with huge political meaning. It targeted Cangrande and angered the della Scala family. The comments in Ecerinis eventually led to Mussato's exile in 1325. Ecerinis was seen as a clever way to weaken Cangrande, and it was quite successful. Mussato's use of politically biased information is clear in Ecerinis. For example, when the messenger returns with news of Ezzelino's terrible death, the Chorus responds:

Young men, together let us pay thanks befitting the giver of such great blessings….

May God, born of a Virgin, show his approval to the vows have addressed to him.

This statement clearly uses Ezzelino's death to make him seem evil. It warns the citizens of Padua to prevent tyranny from returning with Cangrande. The whole play Ecerinis clearly had a political purpose. It made Ezzelino look like a typical tyrant. Mussato's efforts succeeded in creating "the myth of Ezzelino." This myth was used to criticize Padua's past under powerful lords. Mussato also used Ecerinis to show how desperate he was to keep communal rule in Padua. The play used many real-life experiences to highlight the dangers of powerful rule on a city. It also predicted the loss of civic freedom in Padua. This was an attempt to inspire Paduans to fight for their republic and regain the freedom they had lost. Ecerinis also served as a warning to Cangrande. It told him that all tyrannical rules end in death and ruin, causing great suffering.

Political Outcomes and Legacy

Ecerinis created a political legacy for Mussato. This greatly helped his works last and remain important. However, it also led to problems in his personal life. In 1318, Mussato was imprisoned again. This was for complaining about the loss of Padua's communal government. It was also for his political actions against the Carrara family after Giacomo da Carrara was named the people's delegate in July 1318. Albertino Mussato was later exiled in 1325. While in exile, he continued to write pieces with subtle political messages. These works included Ludovicus Bavarius, ad Filium, a letter to Louis of Bavaria about his son's education. Mussato's last works showed his efforts to share his knowledge and beliefs. He included subtle political hints wherever possible, reaching as many people as he could. In 1329, Mussato died while in exile. But he had already influenced the lives of many Italians. He left behind a large collection of literary and historical works with a strong political purpose.

Early Humanism

What is Early Humanism?

Petrarch is often called the first humanist. However, many scholars argue that people like Albertino Mussato and his teacher Lovato Lovati were humanists even before Petrarch. They used classical works in their writings. Humanism, or "pre-humanism," began in Padua in the 1260s. Lovati wrote poems based on ancient Roman poets like Ovid and Horace. His student, Mussato, then made his prose more classical. He also based his play, Ecerinis, on the Senecan tragedy style.

Nicholas Mann argues that Northern Italians became interested in classical works because they studied Roman Law. This was called the Corpus Juris Civilis. Early humanists in Northern Italy, like Lovati and Mussato, were often lawyers. They applied Roman law to legal situations of their time. These lawyers also became interested in other parts of classical heritage, such as history and moral philosophy. The main interests of early humanists like Lovati and Mussato were not to copy ancient Greece or Rome exactly. Instead, they were interested in the mythical worlds of gods and heroes found in classical Latin poetry. Early humanists did not have as romantic a view of ancient societies as later humanists like Petrarch. Their works mainly tried to bring out the feelings and thoughts of ancient society. This is especially clear in Mussato's tragic play, Ecerinis, which was based on the Senecan tragedy. Overall, Lovati and Mussato contributed to features of later humanism. These include: rejecting the Latin used at their time, wanting more classical texts, and trying to understand and copy them. Later humanists, like Petrarch and Dante, are said to have learned a lot from the works of early Northern Italian humanists like Lovati and Mussato.

Lovati's Influence on Mussato

Mussato was greatly influenced by his teacher and fellow humanist, Lovato Lovati. Lovati was one of the first to show "proto-humanism." He is known for finding plays by Seneca. He also knew ancient lyric poets like Catullus, Tibullus, and Propertius. Later, Petrarch, often called the "father of humanism," highly praised Lovati's knowledge of classical works.

Lovati's influence on Mussato is clear in Mussato's most famous work, his play Ecerinis. Ecerinis was based on the Senecan tragedy style that Lovati had rediscovered. This shows that Lovati and Mussato were close friends and shared a student-teacher relationship. They even gave each other sobriquets, or nicknames, which was also an ancient tradition. Lovati's nickname was "Wolf," and Mussato's was "Little ass." Lovati believed Mussato had great potential. On his deathbed, he told Mussato to put his poetic interests above his family. He said, "since you are deemed gifted by the muses, by these you will be muse inspired. Ivy will circle your temples."

Classical Ideas in His Works

Mussato's most famous play, Ecerinis, was written around 1314. It was based on Seneca's tragedies, especially Thyestes and Octavia. It was also the first play written in a classical meter since ancient times. It was the first tragic play to appear after Lovati found Seneca's plays. Ecerinis did not feature mythological characters like Seneca's plays did. Instead, it told the story of historical events in Northern Italy. It was based on the harsh rule of Ezellino III de Romano. The play's goal was to warn the people of Padua about the dangers of tyranny.

Unlike later humanists, who used classical works as examples of a glorious past, Mussato and early humanists cared more about how ancient tragedies could bring out strong emotions and teach moral lessons. Mussato said that "the voice of the tragic poet makes minds strong when confronted by adversities, so that cowardly fear evaporates." Earlier "renaissances" in the Carolingian and 12th century periods didn't do much to bring back Roman plays. Petrarchan humanists were too focused on promoting classical works without going against Christianity. Ecerinis shows how early humanists used the classics. Mussato took ideas from classical works without saying that classics were absolutely superior. Mussato's use of both classical meter and the ancient Senecan tragedy style, along with his attempt to teach moral lessons from tragedy, hinted at aspects of Petrarchan humanism. They are an example of the beginning of the humanist movement.

His Ideas and Style

Medieval universities taught students about the rhythm and speaking style of writing. This helped early humanists like Mussato recognize and copy the writing patterns of ancient poets. Mussato made his Latin prose more classical in his letters and plays. This suggests he didn't like the traditional medieval way of writing Latin prose. He was the first, besides Lovati, to use a classical style in poetic letters. His use of classical Latin shows a key feature of later humanists: they rejected the Latin style of their time in favor of classical Latin.

Besides letters, copying classical authors and styles also influenced Mussato's historical writing. He acted as a chronicler in works like Historia Augusta, which described events such as Henry IV's invasion of Brescia. Historia Augusta shows classical influence in Mussato's use of classical Latin style. It also shows it in his ideas, as he used ancient writers like Sallust by including documents in his text. He also used Seutonius in how he described people. When it came to Christianity, Mussato wasn't overly religious. But he believed that historical events were connected to astrology. Mussato's belief in this connection can be seen in his work De Traditione:

"Paduan posterity might observe the fortune of their city, as it were, imposed by nature herself and the fatal sentence of its own history, whether on account of the location of the land or by a fluctuation of some kind of elements or by some sort of disposition concealed from mortals".

To defend ancient poets from being called un-Christian, Mussato used Aristotle's ideas. He argued that poets were the first theologians (people who study religion). He also said that poetry wasn't just for expressing God's word. Instead, it contained hidden meanings about divinity and God's creations. Mussato blurred the line between poetry and theology. He emphasized that ancient poetry and the Bible were connected. However, Mussato's later works were more traditionally Christian. This might have been because he was older and wanted to make peace with the medieval Christian church.

His Lasting Impact

Petrarch learned a lot from the early Northern Italian humanists. They copied, found, and used ancient works. Later, Petrarch would praise the works of Mussato's teacher, Lovato Lovati. Besides praising Lovati, the humanist Coluccio Salutati told Bartolomeo Oliari that his own special honor (the laurel crown) was due to Mussato's influence. He wrote that "the first cultivator of eloquence was your compatriot Mussato of Padua."

Religious leaders criticized later humanists. The church believed that studying classical poetry distracted people from religion. These later humanists, like Petrarch and Boccacio, defended using classical poetry in the same way Mussato had decades before. They argued that the hidden truths in classical works were still important today. Petrarch consciously copied Mussato in both defending and celebrating ancient poetry. Mussato's tragedy Ecerinis has been named as the work that made tragedy popular. It also inspired Shakespeare's Richard the III to be based on the Senecan tragedy style.

Works

Albertino Mussato followed the example of his teacher, Lovati. Both of them copied and learned from ancient Roman writers like Seneca and Livy. However, Ronald Witt notes that their writings weren't completely classical. He writes that earlier humanists like Mussato and Lovati used classic Roman works for inspiration. But they "showed little interest in investigating the nature of the society that produced them."

The works of Mussato and his friends helped start the later humanist movement. In that movement, writers went further and tried to recreate the past of ancient Rome by copying it very closely. The early signs of humanism are clear in works like Mussato's poem dedicated to Henry VII (Poem 33). This poem is written in a sonnet-like form, which was popular in Northern Italy in the early 1300s. But its text is written in a classical style. Mussato received the poet laurel on December 5, 1315. This was because of his important tragedy Ecerinis and his work on the history of Henry VII's trip to Italy, called Historia Augusta (or De gestis Henrici septimi Cesaris).

Mussato's works were written in the early 1300s in Italy. Mussato probably wrote his own copies of his works. He had experience as a copyist and a notary. His writings were later printed as part of Lodovico Antonio Muratori's Rerum Italicarum Scriptores (Writers on Italian Affairs). This was an 18th-century collection of "chronicles, diaries, and legal documents" from the years 500 to 1500. Some of Mussato's works are in the tenth volume of this collection. Mussato's writings have been reprinted many times since then. Some of his original manuscripts are kept in the library at the University of Padua.

Drama: Ecerinis

Ecerinis (around 1314) was Mussato's Latin verse tragedy. It was based on Seneca's play Thyestes. Many scholars say this play is "the earliest post-Ancient tragedy." We don't know when Mussato started writing the play. But he finished it after he was released from Cangrande I della Scala's prison. Just as Seneca's tragedies describe the downfall of rulers, Mussato focused his play on the fall of Ezzelino III da Romano. Mussato's main source for information on Ezzelino was Rolandino of Padua's Cronica in factis et circa facta Marchie Trivixane (around 1262).

Ecerinis has a political message against Cangrande I. Cangrande was trying to invade Padua during this time. Mussato used Ezzelino's story in his play as a warning to Paduans about the new tyrant threatening their city. The following lines from the play support this idea:

[Messenger:] O, Verona, always the ancient scourge of this march,

dwelling-place of enemies and road to wars, seat of tyranny. (174–176)

The play was so popular and important that it helped Mussato succeed in bringing back classical writing styles. He also received the poet laureate honor from the bishop and the city of Padua. Furthermore, the play's importance was highlighted when a law was passed. This law stated that the play should be read every Christmas. This was meant to strengthen Paduan patriotism.

The play has "five acts, a small cast, a chorus of Paduans, and a boastful, cruel main character." The chorus is made up of the citizens of Padua. They play a big role in the story. Literary scholars have noted that the chorus is the moral voice of the play. The events of the five acts happen over about 24 years. The setting often changes.

Ecerinis is written in Latin verse and follows Seneca's style in its rhyme. For example, the dialogues are written in iambic trimeter. The chorus is written using "a pattern of Sapphic, Adonic, and anapest." The play's themes are shown in the following lines. Here, Mussato warns about the danger of a power-hungry tyrant:

At what risks do you seek the heights of treacherous power? (118–119)

Always watchful, he [(Ezzelino)] fears and is feared. (257)

Witt describes the play as "unquestionably a Christian drama" because it mentions Christ. But he says this doesn't mean Mussato was deeply Christian. Witt believes the religious part of the work is due to the play's style. In this type of play, "divine interventions are standard elements."

Histories

Much of what we know about northern Italy in the 1300s comes from Mussato's histories. These include the Historia Augusta Henrici VII Caesaris (History of Henry VII) and the De Gestis Italicorum Post Henricum VII Caesarem (Concerning the Deeds of the Italians after Emperor Henry VII). The first book tells about Emperor Henry VII's trip to Italy from 1310 to 1313. The second book tells about Italian politics "from August 1313 to at least July 1321."

Henry VII's trip to gain control over Italy met little resistance in Padua and other cities in Northern Italy. The papacy (the Pope's office) at this time was in Avignon. Cities that supported Henry VII's trip hoped to bring the papacy back to Rome. Padua submitted to his rule. Mussato's writing about him suggests that he also supported Henry VII. This was true even though the "Italian prince" made many mistakes in his dealings with the Italians.

Some of his other historical prose works include a book about Louis of Bavaria (Ludovicus Bavarus, ad filium). His last work, which he finished writing in early 1329, was about Padua's fall to Cangrande. It was called De Traditione Patavii ad Canem Grandem Anno 1328 Mense Septembris et Causis Precedentibus. Mussato also wrote historical accounts in verse (poem) form. Some examples of his historical poems are Poem 33 and a poem called De Obsidione Domini Canis Grandis de Verona circa Moenia Paduanae Civitatis et Conflictu Ejus (Of Cangrande's Besieging the Walls of the City of Padua and of Its Fight) (around 1325). The next major historian of Padua after him, Guglielmo Cortusi, had a much friendlier view of the Carraresi family.

Historia Augusta

The way Mussato wrote his Historia Augusta was influenced by ancient historians. These included Livy, Sallust, Caesar, and Suetonius. Parts of Mussato's history included documents in the text. He also gave vivid descriptions of the people he wrote about. These were all features found in writers like Sallust and Suetonius. Scholars also praise Mussato's history for its clear description of events in order. He clearly explained the causes and effects.

Below are the first few lines of the Historia Augusta. Witt notes that they remind him of Julius Caesar's commentaria. This is because they "emphasized the geographical setting of the narrative."

Poetry and Letters

Mussato's poetry and letters are connected. Not only did Mussato write some of his letters in verse (for example, Letters 4, 7, and 18), but he also defended poetry. He did this against Friar Giovanni of Mantua's criticism (Epistola 18). Giovanni claimed that poetry was dangerous to Christianity. Mussato disagreed, saying that, like the Bible, poetry was inspired by God. The style of Mussato's letters shows he followed the tradition of ars dictaminis. This was a method of letter writing taught in schools during Mussato's time. In his defense of poetry, Mussato said it was "divina ars, altera philosophia, and theologia mundi.(Epistola 18,83–85)." By doing so, he called poetry a divine work. He combined poetry with philosophy and theology into what Curtis calls "theological poetics." Mussato's mixing of poetry and religion went against the medieval understanding of poetry. Medieval thought placed poetry within grammar, rhetoric, and scholasticism. Mussato's approach "[allied] him with the Christian apologetic tradition."

De Celebratione

De Celebratione Suae Diei Nativitatis Fienda Vel Non (Whether His Birthday Ought to Be Celebrated or Not) was Mussato's autobiographical work. It was "written in 1317, when Mussato was 56 years old." Mussato tells readers his age at the beginning of the poem. He gives his age using an anno domini (A.D.) date, referring to the birth of Christ.

Sexta dies haec est, sunt quinquagesima nobis

(Tempora narrabat si mihi vera Parens)

Musta reconduntur vasis septemque decemque

Nune nova post ortum mille trecenta Deum.

If my parents truly told me the right time, one thousand three hundred and seventeen new vintages have been closed in jars since the birth of God.

Witt notes that Mussato is "the first person whom we know of since antiquity to celebrate his birthday." In the last half of his poem, Mussato writes about his regrets. He wishes he would have no more birthdays. This is because he fears "adding evil deeds to his already heavy tally." This poem is like a confession. The sadness at the end shows Mussato's wish for a better afterlife.

Mors licet accedat melioris nuntia vitae

nostra tamen iuris tunc erit umbra sui.

Let Death, the messenger of a better life, approach, but I will then be a shade within his domain.

Poem 33

This poem was dedicated to Henry VII. It is known for its classical rhythm and language. However, it uses a sonnet-like form. This can be linked to popular writing styles in Mussato's time.