The Chronicon Faventinum[1] is a Latin chronicle of the city of Faenza and the region of Emilia-Romagna from 20 BC until AD 1236.[2] It was begun by a Faentine native, Tolosanus,[3] a deacon, magister and later secular canon of Faenza Cathedral.[4] He brought the record down to 1218.[5] The chronicle was subsequently continued for a decade by at least two other anonymous writers, probably canons of the cathedral.[6]
Tolosanus was born in the mid-12th century.[2] He was a rhetorician active in municipal politics and in the local church.[5] He had a biblical and classical education, an understanding of juridical procedure and good Latinity.[7] He died on 5 April 1226.[5]
The Chronicon is the earliest piece of urban historiography from Emilia-Romagna.[7] it is divided into 153 chapters, each headed by a rubric.[7] It begins with the mythical founding of the city by the Romans, which Tolosanus dates to 20 BC.[2] Tolosanus quotes extensively from Virgil and the bible.[7] His work is largely legendary until the period of the communes (11–12th century).[7] While for the earlier period, his chronology is based on the succession of bishops of Faenza, for the communal period it is based on the succession of magistrates.[2]
Ideologically, the Chronicon has Guelph (i.e., pro-papal) sympathies.[8] The solidarity of the commune, the clergy and the bishop is stressed.[9] Tolosanus was imbued with a crusading spirit and he glorifies the urban militia.[10] Imola, Forlì and Ravenna are portrayed as Faenza's traditional enemies.[10] Faenza was always a member of the Lombard League, and the Chronicon often rises above local history to cover the wider conflict between the league and the Holy Roman Empire.[11] It records how the city sent 27 knights to fight for the pope against the emperor during the War of the Keys (1228–1230).[12]
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