La Cronaca di Salimbene de Adam

by Salimbene di Adam

A la fin des annes 1280, Salimbene de Adam, enfant de Parme et franciscain de la province de Bologne, compose une Chronique, dernire et seule conserve de ses oeuvres. Le projet, plutt banal, est mtamorphos par la volont de transmettre toute l'exprience d'une vie. L'auditoire restreint, qui contient en germe une faible diffusion, autorise une libert de ton et une pratique dbride des digressions, qui font de l'oeuvre un prodigieux rservoir de choses vues. Prdicateur, Salimbene a le sens du rcit et du dtail croqu sur le vif. Jadis marqu par le joachimisme, il traque les signes, consigne et commente les prophties. Ce qu'il a vu d'espoirs et de dchirements dans l'ordre franciscain, o il a vcu un demi-sicle, de drames et d'ambitions dans la vie communale, dont il connait les ressorts et les protagonistes, de dvotions et de curiosits dans les villes et les campagnes qu'il a parcourues, il veut le transmettre. Hommes et miracles, sanctuaires et prches, chants et bons mots, joutes oratoires et travaux publics, guerres et clipses sont voques avec l'art du conteur et la science du clerc, nourri de grammaire et d'Ecriture : histoires vraies, histoires vues, histoires difiantes, insres au fil des annes et le plus souvent dans la trame de dmonstrations savantes, donnent ainsi naissance une oeuvre foisonnante et inclassable, qui tient du recueil d'autorits et du rpertoire d'histoires exemplaires, du martyrologe et du trait thologico-moral, de la chronique urbaine et du recueil de mirabilia. Salimbene arrive s'y perdre et les seuls fils que l'on suive de bout en bout sont l'apologie de l'ordre franciscain et les prceptes thiques. Sa mauvaise foi clate quand il veut noircir les adversaires et concurrents de l'Ordre, ses prjugs aristocratiques affleurent partout. Sententieux dans ses portraits et partial dans ses prfrences, toujours curieux et passionn, il livre sans dtour, mais non sans apprt, un tmoignage profondment humain.

421 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Franciscan chronicler (also Salimbene de Adam or Salimbene of Parma).

Salimbene joined the Franciscans in 1238, afterwards travelling widely in Italy and France.

Reviews

[Ton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very biased and vitriolic but also witty, gossipy and very insightful chronicle by a Franciscan monk. Salimbene has an engaging style, and takes as much pleasure in describing a lovely dinner with a fine lady as he does in relating fanciful ways in which an old unrelenting apostate insults God:

“In Treviso Alberigo da Romano ruled for many years, and his reign was cruel and harsh, as those who experienced it know very well. This man was the very limb of the devil (membrum diabolis) and the son of iniquity, but eventually he perished by a wretched death… Once, when he lost his falcon, he pulled down his pants and turned his arse up to the heavens in mockery and insult to God himself, thinking in this way to avenge himself on God for his loss. And when he came home, he went into the church and defecated on the very altar itself… Moreover, his wife called noble ladies and matrons whores and prostitutes, and he did not rebuke her.”

Salimbene wrote his Chronicle towards the end of his life (1287 or thereabouts), so it’s mostly a memoire, but one with a clear religious tone. He was a follower of Joachim of Fiore, a man with apocalyptic visions in the early thirteenth century, and Salimbene, though writing almost fifty years later, is still very much in awe of Joachims teachings. More in general, he is also very much concerned about the fate of the church and his order.

Salimbene is very erudite, and has an opinion about just about anything, but the best part of his work is that you can tell that he was enjoying himself when he wrote his work. He is truly fascinated by some of the problems and religious or political issues he relates, and he absolutely loves to gossip. He also loves to insert his own memories and opinions, giving it a feeling of both autobiography and self-aggrandizement. A recurring theme is his hatred for the Emperor Frederick II, who he thinks had the potential to be a great ruler, but wasted in all in his arrogance and apostasy. Ironically, Frederick II tried to have Salimbene released from the Franciscan Order, at the request of Salimbene’s father, Guido di Adam, a crusader who did not approve of his son’s decision to join. Perhaps this accounts for some of Salimbene’s hostility towards Frederick.

This edition (by Baird, Baglivi and Kane) features notes and explanations, which help clarify and denote the numerous references to the bible and other religious works, which I found very helpful. All in all a very readable chronicle from the Middle Ages.

[Antonio DSC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Se amanti della storia medievale, semplicemente indispensabile