VILLANI, GIOVANNI (c. 1275-1348), Florentine chron icler, was born at Florence of a mercantile family, and spent much of his early manhood in travelling on business in Italy, France and the Netherlands. He returned definitely to Florence before 1312, and from 1316 onwards held many important offices in his native city, and was employed on various diplomatic mis sions. In his last years he was involved in the bankruptcy of the Bonaccorsi, and fell into poverty. He died in 1348 in the plague epidemic described by Boccaccio.
His Historie Florentine, or Cronica universale, begins with Bib lical times and comes down to 1348. The ground covered by the narrative, especially in the times near Villani's own, bears witness to the author's extensive travels and to the breadth of his mind. It is the cornerstone of the early mediaeval history of Florence. Villani was Guelph, but without passion; and his book is more taken up with an enquiry into what is useful and true than with party considerations. He is a chronicler, not an historian, and has but little method in his narrative. He provides information on the
constitution of Florence, its customs, industries, commerce and arts; and of the chroniclers of his day he is perhaps unequalled for the value of his statistical data. The Chronicle has been printed by L. A. Muratori in tome xiii. of the Rerum Italicarum Scriptores (Milan, 1728) and has been edited by I. Moutier and F. G. Dragomanni (Florence, 1844). Other editions appeared at Trieste (1857) and at Turin in 1879. Selections have been trans lated into English by R. E. Selfe (2nd ed. 1906).
See P. Scheffer-Boichorst, Florentiner Studien (Leipzig, 5874) ; G. Gervinus, "Geschichte der Florentinen Historiographie" in his His torische Schriften (1833) ; U. Balzani, Le cronache Italiane nel medio evo (Milan, 5884) ; A. Gaspary, Geschichte der italienischen Literatur (Berlin, 1885) ; 0. Knoll, Beitr. zur ital. Historiographie im 14. Jahr. (Gottingen, 1876), and 0. Hartwig, "G. Villani and die Leggenda di Messer Gianni di Procida" in H. von Sybel's Historische Zeitschrift. Bd. 25.