Bartholomew Zabarella
This is part 30 in a series on Daniel Farlati’s Illyricum Sacrum.
The Zabarella’s were a prominent family name in the region of Padua, Italy during the 15th century. Farlati attributes a quote to Zambono di Andrea (lt. Joannes Andreas de Favafuscis) which calls a certain Calorius Sabatinus as the ancestor the Zabarella’s first came from. Zambono wrote a lost work detailing the families of Padua that was cited heavily by Giovanni da Nono in his own geneaoligcal work1. Zambono died around 1315, and afterwords a pseudo work arose attributed to his name, which blended in legendary elements with the authentic quotes we know from da Nano’s work. Given that Farlati is citing Favafuscis and not da Nono, and that Calorius Sabatinus scantly appears elsewhere, I believe he is citing the pseudo work2. Nevertheless, we find Francesco Zabarella as a cardinal in the late 14th century, and his newphew, Bartholomew, becoming Archbishop of Spalato in the 1430s.
Nearly all that is remembered of Bartholomew is of his deeds outside of Spalato. In 1433 he was asked by Pope Eugene IV to be a legate to the council of Basil. The majority of the council was hostile towards Eugene and his visit was seen as rather fruitless. Bartholomew remained loyal to Eugene, helping secure the release of his nephew Marcus from prison in Bologna the next year. He countinued his involvement in the council when it was moved to Ferrara in 1438, and again to florence in 1439. The future Pope Pius II, Enea Silvio, wrote that Bartholomew soon after traveled to France and England on a papal Mission. Not long after, he was transferred from Spalato to become Archbishop of Florence. In the Archbishop’s palace in Florence, a portrait exists of him alongside Ludovico Trevisan. He held the position until his death in 1445.
-
De Generatione aliquorum civium urbis Padue, tarn nobilium, quam ignobilium. ↩︎
-
The pseudo work, referred to as pseudo favasochi or the favafuschi chronicle. It is notable that a copy was produced in the 16th century by Giacomo Zabarella. It is uncertain to me whether the Zabarella family references are original to the text or added by Giacomo afterwards. Farlati also includes references to a letter Caspar Schoppe wrote to a venetian sentor repeating the claim that Calorius is the ancestor of the Zabarella family. The work is treated more thoroughly by Rino Modonutti, De Laudabili Memoria Quorundam Nobilium Paduanorum (Cronachetta Dello Pseudo-Favafoschi). See also, J.K Hyde, Italian Social Chronicles in the middle ages. Pio Rajna, Le origini delle famiglie padovane e gli eroi dei romanzi cavallereschi. ↩︎