Benedetto Accolti D'arezzo, Florentine lawyer, humanist and chancellor.

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to study the life and works of the Florentine lawyer, humanist and chancellor, Benedetto Accolti d'Arezzo, who lived from 1415 to 1464. The first chapter is a history of the Accolti family before about 1430. In Chapter II Accolti's early life and works are discussed. Chapter III is an account of Accolti's career as first chancellor of Florence from 1458 until his death in 1464. Chapter IV presents an analysis of Accolti's dialogue De --- prestantia virorum sui evi. In Chapter V Accolti's history of the First Crusade, De bello a christianis contra barbaros gesto is related to Florentine diplomacy in the eastern Mediterranean. Chapter VI contains a study of Accolti's use of sources in De bello and a discussion of its place in the classical tradition of historiography.