DAVANZATI, CHIARO

(ca. 1235–ca. 1280)

There are two Florentines of the late 13th century named Chiaro Davanzati. One of them died in 1303; the other was married with five sons and died in 1280.While the second candidate is more often identified with the prolific poet of that name, that identification is by no means certain. It is clear that the poet fought in the famous battle of Monaperti in 1260, in which Florence and the Guelfs (the party supporting the papacy) were soundly defeated by the Ghibellines (the party supporting the emperor).

Davanzati left some 200 poems dealing with a wide array of themes from love to politics to moral and ethical issues.Many areCANZONI, but there are also twoSONNETcycles inspired by medieval lapidaries and bestiaries.In his early poetry, Chiaro manifests the influence of GIACOMO DA LENTINO’s “Sicilian school” of poetry and the earlier Provençal TROUBADOURS, particularly those like BERNART DE VENTADORN who wrote in the popular TROBAR LEU style. Later, however, his focus on political and spiritual themes suggests the influence of GUITTONE D’AREZZO and the Tuscan school. In his latest poetry Davanzati seems to have adopted the method of GUIDO GUINIZELLI, emphasizing the “gentle heart” of the lover, and the lady as God’s representative on earth. Thus in his last poems Davanzati might be seen as one of the forebears of thestilnovisti, the school to which DANTE belonged. Davanzati was a prolific poet and one who seems to have been well acquainted with most of the other major poets of his time, yet he does not seem to have been an influential poet in his own day and has not attracted much attention from literary historians or critics.

■ Goldin, Frederick, trans.German and Italian Lyrics of the Middle Ages: An Anthology and a History. New York: Doubleday, 1973.