Coluccio Salutati, Chancellor and Citizen of Lucca (1370–1372)

Abstract

On August 31, 1369, a breve was sent from Rome to Lucca recommending ser Coluccio Salutati di Stignano as a man notable for his knowledge and morals and suggesting that the commune of Lucca find some honorable office for him. This letter was the culmination of Salutati's efforts to find employment outside the papal Curia. Salutati had left his home in the Valdinievole in late August 1367 to accept a six-month appointment as Chancellor of the commune of Todi in Umbria and, when this appointment was completed, rather than return to Buggiano he decided to move on to Rome and to the papal court recently returned from Avignon. He had a powerful friend there in the person of the Florentine, Francesco Bruni, one of the papal secretaries. Bruni, although he did not encourage Salutati in his project to come to Rome, seems to have done what he could for his Tuscan friend once Salutati was actually there. At least for almost two years Salutati held some sort of minor notarial appointment in the papal chancery, very probably in that section directed by Bruni. During this time Salutati spent some of his energy unsuccessfully trying to get himself promoted to a more satisfactory post. His efforts probably grew more desperate when it became known that the papacy was seriously thinking of returning to Avignon.