Hugo Falcandus

Hugo Falcandus (second half of 12th cent.).

Liber de regno Siciliae
Epistola ad Petrum Panormitanae Ecclesiae thesaurarium.

Hugo Falcandus is undoubtedly one of the best-known medieval historians; the Liber de regno Siciliae may be attributed to him and, less certainly, the Epistola ad Petrum Panormitanae Ecclesiae thesaurarium. The man - or rather his name - is somewhat mysterious, and he has been variously identified as the canon Hugo Falcus, Hugo de Foucoult, abbot of Saint Denis, the notary Robert of San Giovanni and the admiral Eugenius. However, although it not possible to resolve the controversy regarding his identity, it is easier to outline the basic characteristics of this writer: having a strong personality, he had lived for a long time in Sicily and was certainly well-known in court circles.

The Liber de regno is datable to after 1181, the Epistola ad Petrum to 1190. He wrote, therefore, in the very difficult period of transition from the Norman dynasty to the Swabian one. The account covers William I’s reign until the accession to the throne of his infant son, William II, who was under the guardianship of his mother, Margaret of Navarre and the sinister Walter Offamil, the protofamiliaris of the kingdom. It is a chronicle that is intentionally limited to the events ‘que circa curiam gesta sunt’ - it is, in other words, only concerned with what happens at court and the intrigues associated with this, leaving a truly apocalyptic impression of the wickedness and corruption of the court of Palermo, and reflecting the author’s radical pessimism with regard to human nature. The Liber de regno opens with a preface presenting the monstra and miracula that devastate the history of Sicily, in which the influence of Fortuna is decisive: this is a desperate, gloomy vision that then takes concrete form in the events recounted. There is, however, clearly reference to the didactic concept of history, which is charged with the task of leading public figures back to righteousness by setting an example for them to follow. Thus the account opens with the ‘good’ King Roger, whose power and fortitude have now been dissipated in the dispiriting reality of the present situation. From a politico-ideological point of view, the author is certainly a supporter of the baronage, who were opposed to the centralizing policy of the crown and the emerging forces in the kingdom, represented especially by men of low-born origin - for instance, Maio of Bari - and converted Muslims, such as the gaitus Peter. But in many passages it is possible to note an underlying loyalty to the monarchy, which leads Hugo to strongly condemn, for example, the attempt of the barons in Palermo to capture the king during a rebellion. His ideal is not that of a baronial monarchy, but rather of a just king, capable of governing his people without having to rely on corrupt or iniquitous ministers. Throughout the chronicle, it is evident that there is a contrast between Roger II and his ‘degenerate’ successors, with a negative evaluation of the period of the last Norman kings. Hugo Falcandus proves himself to be a past-master at depicting the psychological contrasts between the protagonists, and his portrayals of Maio of Bari as a diabolic, corrupt schemer (practically the sum of Sallust’s Cataline and Lucan’s Caesar) and Stephen of Perche as a good and honest, but weak, chancellor are particularly memorable. Although its prose is less fresh and fluent than that of Malaterra and it is often sombre and monotonous in tone, the Liber de regno displays narrative skill and a capacity for description that make it one of the masterpieces of medieval history-writing.

A restrained and erudite intellectual, Hugo Falcandus has an excellent knowledge of the classics: his Latin is rhetorical and elevated in tone, and the influence of Sallust, Cicero and Lucan - the latter is another great narrator of civil wars - is evident.

Also of notable interest is the Epistola ad Petrum, a short book reflecting the first reactions of the Sicilian ruling class to the invasion of the kingdom by the Swabians of Henry VI. Although the ideological viewpoint of the Liber de regno is still largely mysterious - especially as it wavers between the interests of the barons and loyalty to the crown - the position of the author of this text is clear, as he takes a very firm stance against the German invasion, highlighting what he describes as the ‘Theutonicus furor’.

 

MODERN EDITION

- La Historia o Liber de regno Siciliae e la Epistola ad Petrum Panormitanae Ecclesiae thesaurarium di Ugo Falcando, ed. G.B. Siragusa, FSI 22, Rome, 1897.