Leonardo Bruni: History Of The Florentine People

Leonardo Bruni (1370-1444 AD) is regarded as the central figure in early Renaissance efforts to refine the form and function of classical writing. In particular, Bruni’s monumental History of the Florentine People is often singled as an exemplary work. As both the “public historiographer” and Chancellor of Florence, it became his duty to produce histories to not only reexamine the past, but also to help stimulate feelings of public spirit and civic pride. Largely relying on Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita Libri as a foundation to form his narrative style, Bruni’s History of the Florentine People is physical evidence of the rebirth of the classical literary genre. The most direct, and noticeable, comparison of Livy and Bruni’s works is that they
According to Bruni, Florence, and cities similar to it, should not only should cultivate freedom, but also destroy tyrannies whenever they arise. While the Roman Republic brought glory to Rome, Bruni argues that the tyrannical Roman Emperors caused its ultimate downfall. In his Panegyric of Florence Bruni states, “Then after having been deprived of their legitimate freedom, they (the Roman People) were torn apart by the most cruel being, who, in the more valiant days of the republic, would have been among the scum of society.” Moreover, classical historians would argue that political liberty gave the leaders of the Roman Republic a justification to conquer vast amounts of territory. However, for Bruni political liberty meant that scholars, not just kings, should participate in the political arena, therefore, encouraging people in a free discussion of ideas. As a result, humanist historians not