Frederick, Conrad & Manfred of Hohenstaufen, Kings of Sicily ─ The Chronicle of "Nicholas of Jamsilla" 1210-1258

This is the first English translation of a chronicle written in Latin during the thirteenth century by a court official of Manfred von Hohenstaufen, King of Sicily, son and heir of Frederick II. The fascinating chronicle takes its name not from its narrator but from the medieval owner of its oldest manuscript, a codex kept in Naples. The name 'Jamsilla' is a corruption of Joinville, an Angevin family that flourished in Italy after 1270. However, it is clear the chronicler was somebody close to King Manfred, and he offers us much insight into the monarch's exploits, and many candidates have been advanced by historians as 'Nicholas of Jamsilla.'

Most of the news recounted here centers on the years from 1250, when the great Frederick II died, until Manfred's coronation in 1258. It is one of the most important sources for this brief but pivotal period, consulted by such giants as Steven Runciman and David Abulafia. The chronicle was completed by around 1262, a few years before Manfred's death at the Battle of Benevento in 1266.

Mendola is intimately familiar with the Italian regions that are the focus of the chronicle, as well as the history itself. This book includes dozens of pages presenting maps, photographs and genealogical tables.

A clear introductory text considers the history of the chronicle and its details. There are dozens of footnotes. The monolithic text has been divided into chapters for the reader's convenience. Additional narratives are dedicated to the periods before and after those considered by the chronicle, framing it with useful context. A number of sources, such as royal decrees, support Mendola's commentary. Very little has ever been written about the chronicle in English, most of the existing essays being in Italian and German.

This book will appeal to serious scholars but also to anybody interested in this complex transitional period of Italy's medieval history, which led to the end of Hohenstaufen rule, the beginning of the Angevin reign and the War of the Vespers.

In bringing the chronicle to a wider audience, including Italian descendants around the world, this translation preserves a special piece of heritage. It opens the door to a colorful and significant era of Italian history.