Primary sourceBookc. 1348–1363
Cronica of Matteo Villani
Matteo Villani · c. 1348–1363
A chronicle continuing his brother Giovanni Villani's history after Giovanni died of the Black Death, reflecting on Florence's moral and economic recovery.
Continues his brother's chronicle after Giovanni Villani died of the Black Death, analysing its aftermath in Florence.
About this source
What it is
This chronicle was written by Matteo Villani between about 1348 and 1363, continuing the Nuova Cronica begun by his brother Giovanni Villani, who died of the plague in 1348. The surviving printed edition shown here dates from the 1820s.
Why it matters
Matteo Villani's continuation gives a contemporary Florentine perspective on the aftermath of the Black Death, analyzing how the pandemic changed morality, society, and the economy in the years that followed. It shows how the disaster passed from one family member, a direct victim, to another who tried to make sense of its consequences.
Look closer
- Why might a brother feel compelled to continue a chronicle after the original author's death from plague?
- What kinds of changes in society would a chronicler notice after a catastrophe like the Black Death?
- How does writing decades or centuries after an event, rather than during it, change what a source can tell us?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of The Black Death on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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