<i>Sortilegio</i>: Cola Rienzi and the Blasphemy of Documentation

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 1997

<i>Sortilegio</i>: Cola Rienzi and the Blasphemy of Documentation

Anthony Di Renzo Ithaca College

Abstract

Cola Rienzi, the 14th century notary and usurper who briefly resurrected the Roman Republic during the Avignon Papacy, is an important figure in the history of professional writing. The son of an unlettered country innkeeper, Cola combined a passion for classical rhetoric and literature with extensive training in legal documentation to create and sustain a messianic regime. By imitating Ancient Roman memos and reports in his written edicts, Cola convinced the people that he was their tribune and savior. The aristocrats and clerics chafing under Cola's authority, however, considered these documents sortilegio, sheer witchcraft. When Rienzi's edicts became increasingly self-serving and grandiloquent, the mob, sickened by his megalomania, tore him to pieces. Although he was posthumously declared anathema by the Church—partly for having invented the fountain pen—Cola's legislative reforms, and his revolutionary use of the classics to reshape administrative writing, helped pave the way for Renaissance Humanism.

Journal: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published: 1997-07-01
DOI: 10.2190/nxru-68rq-32p5-v1bc
Open Access: Closed
Topics: rhetorical theory professional writing multilingual writers

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