Jacopone da Todi

Alessandro Vettori (Rutgers University)

Ed. by Jo Ann Cavallo, Columbia University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.6.1: Italian Writing and Culture, 453-present.
Vol. editors: Carla Bregman (Independent Scholar - North America), Jo Ann Cavallo (Columbia University)

Dates

Born c. 1236
Died 1306
Activity 1270-1306

Places

Born in Italy
Active in Italy

Activities

Primary

Mystic
Poet

Resources

Jacopone (also known as Jacopo de’ Benedetti or Jacopo da Tuderto) was born in Todi, at the time a prosperous town in the region of Umbria, in central Italy, possibly to a family of the lesser nobility. Information about his life is scarce, but it appears that he practiced law and married Vanna of the Counts of Coldimezzo. According to tradition, her death led to his conversion in 1268. When the floor on which she was dancing collapsed during a party, Vanna perished from the injuries caused by her fall. A hairshirt, or instrument of self-mortification, was found on her body, which she had been wearing unbeknownst even to Jacopone; she had mortified her flesh even while leading the merry lifestyle her husband enjoyed. Upon …

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995 words

Citation: Vettori, Alessandro. "Jacopone da Todi". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 February 2009 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5551, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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