Quick Facts
Biography
Stefano Magno (around 1499 – 14 October 1572) was a Venetian chronicler.
Biography
According to Kenneth Setton, Stefano Magno was born around 1499 (his father's name was Andrea) and died on 14 October 1572. According to the Marios Philippides he was born in 1490 and died in 1557. He was a member of the noble Venetian Magno family.
Works
Cronaca Magno
The authorship of the manuscript often named as Cronaca Magno is attributed to Stefano Magno. This work is based on the work of Aeneas Sylvius (Pope Pius II). Stefano Magno frequently quotes dispacci of Bartolomeo Minio in his chronicle.
Annali Veneti e del Mondo
His work Annali Veneti e del Mondo is a five-volume manuscript archived in the library of the Museo Correr. This manuscript is described as "one of the more important literary sources for the last two decades of fifteenth century", providing "extraordinary coverage" of events almost all over Europe and Levant. It also covers the process of Islamization of Albanians and presents information about the Muslim conquest of Skanderbeg's stronghold, Krujë. A Greek historian and researcher Constantine Sathas published extracts of the Venetian chronicle of Stefano Magno connected with the history of Greece (Mnemeia Hellenikes Historias [Monuments of Greek History]), which Kenneth Setton considers carelessly transcribed.
The first volume of his Annali Veneti e del Mondo describes the origins of the Venetian noble families and presents the alphabetically arranged list with dates of their admission to the Great Council of Venice, with their coats of arms presented in color. The fourth volume describes the period from 1478 to 1481, and contains a description of the Siege of Krujë in 1478.