«Iusticia et sanguinis hominum vendebatur». L’epistolario di Salutati durante la Guerra degli Otto Santi e la lettera del 21 febbraio 1377

Abstract

The War of the Eight Saints (1375-1378), which pitted Florence and its allied cities against pope Gregory XI, represents a turning point in Florentine history: the letters written within the Florentine chancellery by Chancellor Coluccio Salutati have been fundamental during the conflict. In particular, the epistle of 21 February 1377, which reported the terrible episode of the massacre of Cesena carried out by the soldiers of the Church, is an excellent example of how war narrative could have played a fundamental role in the continuation of the war. The aim of the paper is therefore to highlight how Salutati’s role as the author of missives was of fundamental importance within the conflict, giving space to the analysis of the letter of 21 February 1377: the hypothesis raised here is that the diffusion of the letter could be considered among the causes that marked the fate of the conflict.