Writing History in Renaissance Italy: Leonardo Bruni and the Uses of the Past

by Gary Ianziti

Overview

Leonardo Bruni (1370–1444) is widely recognized as the most important humanist historian of the early Renaissance. But why this recognition came about—and what it has meant for the field of historiography—has long been a matter of confusion and controversy. Writing History in Renaissance Italy offers a fresh approach to the subject by undertaking a systematic, work-by-work investigation that encompasses for the first time the full range of Bruni’s output in history and biography.

The study is the first to assess in detail the impact of the classical Greek historians on the development of humanist methods of historical writing. It highlights in particular the importance of Thucydides and Polybius—authors Bruni was among the first in the West to read, and whose analytical approach to politics led him in new directions. Yet the revolution in history that unfolds across the four decades covered in this study is no mere revival of classical models: Ianziti constantly monitors Bruni’s position within the shifting hierarchies of power in Florence, drawing connections between his various historical works and the political uses they were meant to serve.

The result is a clearer picture of what Bruni hoped to achieve, and a more precise analysis of the dynamics driving his new approach to the past. Bruni himself emerges as a protagonist of the first order, a figure whose location at the center of power was a decisive factor shaping his innovations in historical writing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674063266
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	01/01/2012
Series:	I Tatti studies in Italian Renaissance history
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	432
File size:	644 KB

About the Author

Gary Ianziti is Honorary Associate Professor, Centre for the History of European Discourses, University of Queensland.

Table of Contents

Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Bruni on Writing History Part One: Beginnings 2. The Plutarchan Option 3. A New Life of Cicero 4. Between Livy and Polybius: Bruni on the First Punic War Part Two: Florence under the Oligarchy 5. Genesis of the Florentine Histories 6. The Florentine Histories: A Sourcebook for Statesmen 7. Bruni and Biography: A Life of Aristotle Part Three: Medici Florence 8. Parallel Lives: Dante and Petrarch 9. Bruni, the Medici, and the Florentine Histories 10. The Florentine Histories: From Policy to Propaganda Part Four: Late Works 11. A Distant Mirror: Athens, Sparta, and Thebes 12. Memoirs of a Humanist 13. Writing from Procopius Conclusion Notes Index

What People are Saying About This

Arthur Field

Ianziti's outstanding study actually shows what Bruni was doing: text by text and period by period he demonstrates that Bruni took his historical period, analyzed things concretely, and then manipulated the evidence for political purposes, or to suit his personal goals.
— Arthur Field, Indiana University

Riccardo Fubini

Ianziti's book is the first devoted to all of Leonardo Bruni's historical writings--not only the most celebrated Florentine Histories, but ancient and modern biographies as well as essays on ancient history. The result is an admirable book in intellectual history that will be indispensable for Renaissance scholarship.
— Riccardo Fubini, University of Florence

James Hankins

This book is a significant contribution to the history of Renaissance historiography. Bruni is recognized as the greatest historian of the early Renaissance, yet this is the first study in any language that surveys all of Leonardo Bruni's numerous historical and biographical writings in the context of the times and Bruni's own intellectual development. A major achievement.
— James Hankins, Harvard University

Editorial Reviews

This book is a significant contribution to the history of Renaissance historiography. Bruni is recognized as the greatest historian of the early Renaissance, yet this is the first study in any language that surveys all of Leonardo Bruni's numerous historical and biographical writings in the context of the times and Bruni's own intellectual development. A major achievement.
-- James Hankins, Harvard University

Ianziti's book is the first devoted to all of Leonardo Bruni's historical writings--not only the most celebrated Florentine Histories, but ancient and modern biographies as well as essays on ancient history. The result is an admirable book in intellectual history that will be indispensable for Renaissance scholarship.
-- Riccardo Fubini, University of Florence

Ianziti's outstanding study actually shows what Bruni was doing: text by text and period by period he demonstrates that Bruni took his historical period, analyzed things concretely, and then manipulated the evidence for political purposes, or to suit his personal goals.
-- Arthur Field, Indiana University

Long in the making, this book will likely remain among the definitive studies of its protagonist and a must read for students of Renaissance intellectual history.
-- A. Rabil, Jr. Choice

From the Publisher

This book is a significant contribution to the history of Renaissance historiography. Bruni is recognized as the greatest historian of the early Renaissance, yet this is the first study in any language that surveys all of Leonardo Bruni's numerous historical and biographical writings in the context of the times and Bruni's own intellectual development. A major achievement.

James Hankins

Long in the making, this book will likely remain among the definitive studies of its protagonist and a must read for students of Renaissance intellectual history.

Choice - A. Rabil

Ianziti's book is the first devoted to all of Leonardo Bruni's historical writings—not only the most celebrated Florentine Histories, but ancient and modern biographies as well as essays on ancient history. The result is an admirable book in intellectual history that will be indispensable for Renaissance scholarship.

Riccardo Fubini

Ianziti's outstanding study actually shows what Bruni was doing: text by text and period by period he demonstrates that Bruni took his historical period, analyzed things concretely, and then manipulated the evidence for political purposes, or to suit his personal goals.

Arthur Field

Long in the making, this book will likely remain among the definitive studies of its protagonist and a must read for students of Renaissance intellectual history.
— A. Rabil, Jr.

Choice