Liber ad honorem Augusti
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The Liber ad honorem Augusti sive de rebus Siculis ("Book in honour of the Emperor, or on Sicilian affairs"; also called Carmen de motibus Siculis, "Poem on the Sicilian revolt") is an illustrated narrative epic in Latin elegiac couplets, written in Palermo in 1196 by Peter of Eboli (in Latin, Petrus de Ebulo). The presentation copy is now MS. 120 II of the Berne Municipal Library.
It tells the story of Tancred of Lecce's attempt to take control of Sicily, an attempt thwarted by the successful military campaign of Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Composed in honour of Henry VI and intended for presentation to him, the poem is extremely biased, but, once allowance has been made for this, is a useful and detailed historical source.
At every page opening a column of Latin text is faced by a full page illustration with brief captions. This beautiful volume gives a rich picture of 12th century life in Italy and Sicily; it may be compared with the 11th century Bayeux Tapestry. The fierce caricatures of Tancred, who is depicted as almost ape-like in stature and features, match the propagandistic bias of the text.
[edit] External links
[edit] Bibliography
- Theo Kölzer, Marlis Sträli, Petrus de Ebulo: Liber ad honorem Augusti sive de rebus Siculis, Jan Thorbecke Verlag, 1994 ISBN 3-7995-4245-0 [Complete facsimile with German translation and commentary]
