The Revolution of Cola di Rienzo
ISBN: 9781599102108
Platform/Publisher: JSTOR / Italica Press, Inc.
Digital rights: Users: unlimited; Printing: chapter; Download: chapter
Subjects: Rienzo Cola di d. 1354; Rome (Italy) -- History -- 475-1420 -- Sources;

In Rome on May 20, 1347, Cola di Rienzo overthrew the rule of the barons and the pope. Cola's revolution then attempted to restore the greatness of the medieval commune, revive the ancient Roman Republic, and usher in a new age of liberty, justice and peace. This bright hope soon changed to disillusionment, as pope and barons conspired to isolate and then topple Rienzo. After a period of exile and wandering, he traveled to Prague where he was eventually arrested, imprisoned by the Inquisition, and turned over to his arch-enemy, Pope Clement VI. In a bizarre turn of events he was freed and returned to Rome to restore the republic. Shortly thereafter the barons revolted again; and Rienzo was slain by a mob. Using letters and other writings, this book tells the story of the relationship between Cola di Rienzo and Francesco Petrarch, the poet and Renaissance humanist. Petrarch's initial break with the Rienzo and his eventual bid to save him from death offer a remarkable case study of the world of letters and politics in the early Renaissance. Translated from Latin by Mario E. Cosenza. Updated introduction, bibliography, map, notes and index.


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