Barbarossa in Italy [Paperback] [Sep 29, 2008] Carson, Thomas and Master, Bergamo

"Barbarossa in Italy" presents a verse translation of the "Carmen de gestis Frederici I imperatoris in Lombardia." This Latin poem describes the conflict leading up to Apriil of 1162 when Frederick I Hohenstaufen, the German emperor, destroyed Milan in an attempt to impose his rule on the emerging urban republics of northern Italy. The issues, personalities, and events that led up to this catastrophe are the subjects of this unfinished verse epic written by an anonymous citizen of Bergamo shortly after the events. With a vivid eye for the horrors of battle and siege, his knowing portrayal of Frederick's conflicted emotions, and his use of classical figures and dream vision, the "Bergamo Master" shows a respect for his classical antecedents while staying faithful to the modes and personalities of his age. In concise and modern English verse Professor Carson provides the reader with a fresh view of this monumental struggle between imperial authority and an age of cultural revival, local freedoms, and new loyalties. First edition, illustrated, map, introduction, notes, bibliography.

There was a city famous for its wars.
A lovely city, powerful and rich,
Liguria's capital, it was called Milan.
Her large population burned with love for Mars
And swaggered in the glory of its town.
To consuls, chosen by them every year,
They promised to control the way they lived,
And under these they kept the laws and faith.
Yet sharply they harassed the nearby towns
By pressing them for booty and with war,
And two captured cities were reduced to ruins.
First Lodi and then later Como fell.
They compelled obedience from wretched serfs
And heavily oppressed the conquered people,
Who were forbidden to repair their homes.
The rest of Liguria would be conquered next
Because their love for power was so great.
And who can count the tribute and the plunder,
The robberies or the castles smashed to ruins?