The symbol of the Veronese Scaligeri family was a ladder, from which their name also comes from (scala=ladder). These are two ancient variants of their coat of arms, the eagle representing their dedication to the Imperial cause, and the other one representing their love for dogs!
One of the most famous members of the Scaligeri was Cangrande ("the big dog") della Scala (1291-1329). He was a very ferocious warrior of immense bravery and physical strength, but also a patron of the arts as the leading patron of the famous poet Dante Alighieri!
He served the Holy Roman Empire with great conviction and pride and fought for the emperors in Italy. This is Cangrande's sword with which he defended the noble Imperial Ghibelline cause in Italy! Many Guelphs were put to death with this weapon by the great warrior Cangrande!
Cangrande was always loyal, he always fought with honor and chivalry. He remained firm supporter of the Imperial cause even after the unworthy pro-French pope John XXII excommunicated him because of his allegiance to the Empire.
Cangrande enjoyed a great reputation as a warrior. Dante said about his patron, "even his enemies would be unable to keep silent about him." He represented the height of medieval Veronese splendor and might!
Glory to the Scaligeri /=\ Family!
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
It's crazy how Americans bought the myth that during the time of Columbus people thought that the earth was flat, a complete lie popularized by quasi-historian Washington Irving in 1828.
This globe was literally made before Columbus' discovery, and has no America on it.
Washington Irving completely invented a fictional dialogue between Columbus and the Council of Salamanca, where the clergy supposedly objected him on the ground that the earth was flat.
His fraudulent book would become the most popular book on Columbus in English-speaking world.
This lie was then picked on in America and expended as some sort of anti-Catholic anti-medieval founding myth, where Columbus was supposedly representing enlightenment rationalism against irrationality and dogmatism of the Church.
The idea that monarchy and republic are opposed to each other is a modern thing.
The term republic (res publica) was often used to describe medieval kingdoms.
Even by 16th century the Kingdom of France was still called both a republic and a monarchy at the same time!
The Kingdom of France defined itself by the phrase of "chose publique" (res publica) from 1350s to 1580s, also using the word respublique, to describe the relation between the King of France and his subject.
The term was then replaced by State (État).
The absolutist French monarchy which emerged in 17th century preferred the term State over republic, and talked of the "good of the State".
However the term state also comes from earlier medieval concepts like status regis at regni (the state of the king and the kingdom).
16th century Romans developed an interesting tradition of "talking statues", attaching anonymous political commentary on statues.
The Pasquino was the first of such statues.🧵
The Pasquino is an old statue in Rome dating back to Antiquity.
It was one of many random statues in Rome until early 16th century when Cardinal Oliveiro Carafa decorated the statue with Latin epigrams on the occasion of the Feast of Saint Mark.
The Cardinal's actions unintentionally inspired ordinary Roman people to start writing satirical poems and attaching them to the Pasquino.
It is speculated that these were first only consisting of lowbrow humor, but they soon began including controversial political criticism!