Das Reisetagebuch des Kardinallegaten Alessandro deʼ Medici (Rom, Biblioteca Angelica, Ms. 1372, cc. 30r–95r)@@@Journal de voyage du cardinal-légat Alexandre de Médicis: Rome, bibliothèque Angelica, ms. 1372, fos 30ro–95ro

The texts we propose here are excerpts describing the events during Cardinal Alessandro de’ Medici’s legation in France, and more precisely, the period covering their departure from Rome on 10 May 1596 until their return to Ferrara on 10 November 1598. The dedicatory letter, which serves as a preface, tells us that the author, Francesco Gregorij da Terni, was part of the cardinal’s entourage. However, the structure of the text betrays the fact that these are not the actual notes written during the trip, but rather a clean version of the said notes, the manuscript having been completed in 1599, according to the dedication. Several versions of the text exist (ms. Ital. 662, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris; ms. 13. After Barbiche 1997, p. 607, note 9, Archivio Vaticano, Fondo Pio, Rome). The version presented here, held in the Biblioteca Angelica in Rome, is of particular interest because of the “diplomatic” corrections it contains. These were provided by a third party – in all likelihood, Alessandro de’ Medici himself – probably for publication or another form of diffusion. The transcript that follows concentrates on sections of the text describing the perception of the French court. These include hearings the legate had with King Henry IV, official and religious ceremonies, as well as the negotiations leading to the Peace of Vervins (1598). We have also transcribed the descriptions of Paris and of other cities in the kingdom of cultural or historical significance.