Godfrey of Viterbo[1] (c. 1120 – c. 1196) was aRoman Catholicchronicler, eitherItalian orGerman. From an early age he displayed great activity as one of the clergy at the court of Conrad III and later Frederick I, accompanying the latter on many of his campaigns, and frequently fulfilling diplomatic missions for him.
He was probably an Italian by birth, although some authorities assert that he was aSaxon German like his imperial patrons. He evidently passed some of his early life atViterbo in Italy, but he was educated atBamberg, where he was taken byLothair in 1133, gaining a good knowledge ofLatin,[2] possibly preparing for work in governmental service. Following his education, he began working in thePapal Chancellery. In the following years he was active in both governmental andecclesiastical offices.[3] About 1140 he becamechaplain to the German king,Conrad III; but the greater part of his life was spent as secretary (notarius) in the service of theHoly Roman EmperorFrederick I Barbarossa, who appears to have thoroughly trusted him, and who employed him on many diplomatic errands, traveling extensively throughoutEurope, including over forty trips toRome. Incessantly occupied, he visitedSicily,France, andSpain, in addition to many of the German cities, in the emperor's interests, and was by his side during several of the Italian campaigns. As a reward for his services at court, lands were bestowed on him infief, probably in 1169, at Viterbo where he also spent his concluding days.[2]
Both before and after Frederick's death in 1190 he enjoyed the favor of his son, the emperorHenry VI.[2]
In the politico-ecclesiastical conflicts of his time -theConflict of Investiture- he sided with the emperor, without, however, declaring himself inimical to thepope. He blamesPope Alexander's predecessor,Hadrian, for theschism (seePapal election, 1159), inasmuch as the latter had allied himself with theByzantines andNormans against the emperor.
His works were for the most part composed during his many official journeys. In light of his duties he was familiar with the highest levels of authority in both circles and collected historical material, in his own words, for over forty years as notary and chaplain to the Emperor Frederick. His writings sought to combine the goals of education, primarily through example, and entertainment. He was the first Latin writer to set history gleaned from documentary sources alongside reports of events he himself had witnessed and legends and fables from narrative sources, mingling different types of texts and sacred and secular history.[4]
Godfrey's first historical work, theSpeculum regum (Latin:Mirror of Kings), was completed in 1183 and dedicated the young kingHenry VI, whom Godfrey probably taught.[4] The work consists of two books of verse, preceded by a prose prologue, tracing two lines of genealogy which converge in the figure of Charlemagne to justify Henry VI as heir to the throne and reconcile the Romans and Germans.
Godfrey revised this work a few years later into theMemoria seculorum, orLiber memorialis, also dedicated to Henry VI, which professes to record the history of the world from the creation until 1185 when it was completed. It is written partly in prose and partly in verse.[2]
This work was revised once more in 1187 asPantheon, orLiber universalis with various changes and additions, including the incorporation of material fromOtto of Freising'sChronica. Godfrey continued to revise the text over the following years, dedicating subsequent recensions to Pope Urban III and Pope Gregory VIII.[4] ThePantheon was widely read and enormously influential on later medieval writers of histories, includingAdam of Usk andPtolemy of Lucca.[4] ThePantheon was first printed in 1559, and extracts from it are published byL. A. Muratori in theRerum Italicarum scriptores, tome vii (Milan, 1725).[2]
Other minor works appeared alongside thePantheon, including theGesta Friderici I (Latin:The Deeds ofFrederick I) and theGesta Heinrici VI (Latin:The Deeds ofHenry VI). TheGesta Friderici I relates events in the emperor's career from 1155 to 1180. Concerned mainly with affairs in Italy, the poem tells of the sieges ofMilan, of Frederick's flight toPavia in 1167, of the treaty withPope Alexander III atVenice, and of other stirring episodes with which the author was intimately acquainted, and many of which he had witnessed.[2] This metrical account of the achievements of Barbarossa, though not free from confusion, contains some valuable information. TheGesta Heinrici VI is a shorter poem. Although often attributed to Godfrey, his authorship of the verses in iambic septameters is subject to debate.[4]
Another minor work is theDenominatio regnorum imperio subiectorum (Latin:A Description of the Kingdoms Subject to the Empire), a topographic description of the areas and town belonging to the Holy Roman Empire in the time of Frederick I, which only exists in a single manuscript.[4]
Much of Godfrey's work can be found inMonumenta Germaniae historica, vol. 22 (Hanover, 1872).[1] TheGesta Friderici I et Heinrici VI is published separately with an introduction byG. Waitz (Hanover, 1872).[2][2]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Godfrey of Viterbo".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.[3] This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Godfrey of Viterbo".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 173.