Filippo Villani (fl. end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century) was a chronicler of Florence. Son of the chronicler Matteo Villani, he extended the original
Nuova Cronica of his uncle
Giovanni Villani down to 1382.
Career
Filippo Villani held a chair of jurisprudence in the Studio at Florence in 1361.
He was also appointed chancellor of the
medieval commune of
Perugia in 1377, and would remain in office for the next six years.
In his old age, he spent his time in Florence as public reader of the
Divine Comedy by the Florentine
Dante Alighieri (1265–1321).
Accepting this job in 1392, he was given an annual stipend of 150
gold florins.
[Selby, 245.]Work
Villani's chronicles were approved by the
Chancellor of Florence,
Coluccio Salutati (1331–1406), who made corrections to the work and added commentary.
[Selby, 243.] The second edition of Villani's histories came out in either 1395 or 1396.
Filippo Villani's portion includes details of the lives of many Florentine artists and musicians, including
Giotto and
Francesco Landini.
