| around 1267 |
Giotto di Bondone was born in the valley of Mugello in Tuscany. |
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Cimabue discovers the talents of Giotto drawing his sheeps. |
| 1280 |
Giotto begins his apprenticeship in Florence. |
| 1282 |
Uprising against Charles of Anjou, king of Naples. Florence sets up its own government chosen by merchant guilds. Ruling of the Guelfs. Dante Alighieri is a White Guelf (the prop-papal are Black) and is banished from Florence. He writes the first epic poem in the Italian language: The Divine Comedy. |
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Giotto becomes Cimabue's assistant and travels with him. Giotto discovers the frescoes of Cavallini and the sculptures of Arnolfo in Rome and Florence. |
| 1290 |
Renovation of Santa Maria Novella. Giotto contributes an immense Crucifix (19 feet) to the decoration of the church. Giotto works in the basilica of Assisi along with Cimabue and the school of Rome. Giotto works on the Old and New Testament scenes. |
| 1296 |
Boniface threatens to excommunicate any lay ruler who levies tax and any prelate who paies it. Edward I of England replies by threatening to seize the temporal properties of the Church. Philip IV of France answers by banning the export of all gold, silver and jewels to the Papal treasury. |
| 1300 |
The Jubilee Celebration in Rome is held by Pope Boniface VIII. One fragment of Giotto's frescoes from this period remains: Boniface VIII proclaiming the Jubilee, Church of San Giovanni in Laterano. Giotto returns to Florence and executes the Crucifix on a panel in the sacristy of Santa Mara Novella. |
| 1303 |
Philip IV captures Boniface. The Pope is returned to its Papacy three days later and dies within a month. |
| 1304 |
Benedict XI is elected Pope. Benedict requests the service of Giotto in Rome in old St Peter. Benedict dies within a year of poisoning; Philip IV is suspected. |
| 1305 |
Clement V is elected and is a French pope who sets the Papacy in Avignon in Provence. |
| 1304-06 |
Giotto works on the frescoes of the Arena Chapel in Padua. The second Crucifix is executed here and is now in the Civic museum. Acccording to some scholars, this Crucifix could have been painted later around 1317. |
| 1306-1320 |
The classical phase of Giotto's work. He travels widely, working in Remini where he produced the splendi crucifix in the Tempio Malatestiano. Scrovegni is driven out of the city of Padua, in a major political upheaval. |
| 1310 |
In Rome he executes a mosaic for the exterior of the basilica Vaticana. In Florence he produces an Altarpiece, now in the Uffizi, for the church of Ognissanti. |
| 1316 |
Pietro d'Abano, a scholar physician, translator of Aristotle and averroist dies during his trial by the Church Inquisition. D'Abano collaborated with Giotto during the design of the secular frescoes of the
Palazzo della Ragione in Padua. The theme is not religious: it is the signs of the Zodiac and the seven planets. |
| 1320-1325 |
Giotto returns to Florence and produces a number of polyptyches. Giotto interests in perspective is evident in the two chapels of Santa Croce: Peruzzi and Bardi. His workshop shows emerging new artists that execute the Baroncelli altarpiece in Santa Croce. |
| 1321 |
Dante dies in exile in Ravenna. |
| 1324 |
Marsiglio of Padua, living in Paris, publishes a scathing indictment of the Papacy [more]. |
| 1328- 1333 |
Giotto sets out on his travels again. In Naples, Robert of Anjou employed him on a number of works among which Uomini Famosi (Famous men), all now lost. In Bologna, his pupils mostly execute an altarpiece and in Rome he personally executes the Cardinal Stefaneschi's (Boniface's nephew) mosaic "Navicella". |
| 1334 |
Giotto becomes capomaestro of the buildings of Florence and designs the campanile. |
| 1335-1336 |
Giotto and his pupils move to the court of Azzone Visconti of Milan. |
| 1337 |
Giotto dies on the 8th of January and is buried with great honors in the cathedral of Florence. |
