Pontano’s “De bello Neapolitano” and the historiographical tradition in the Aragonese court of Naples

Abstract

The paper traces the evolutionary course of the humanistic historiographical theory developed at the Aragonese court in Naples. In that intellectual circle, the writing of history became a well-defined literary genre governed by precise rules. Pontano completed the process begun by Antonio Beccadelli (Panormita), Facio and Valla, but radically changed its direction: history is no longer aimed exclusively at celebrating the sovereign, but is expressed in more choral descriptions. There is no longer a single protagonist and the focus shifts continuously from men to places.