The following year Victor Emmanuel entered Florence, which in 1865 became the capital of his kingdom of Italy. It was not until 1870 that the hopes of the Florentines were disappointed, and the seat of government was transferred to Rome.
See the histories of the Florentine Republic by Gino Capponi, Atto Vanucci, T. A. Trollope, and Henry Napier; P. Villari’s Memoirs of Savonarola, translated by Leonard Horner, &c.
(a. s. h.)
FLORENCE, of Worcester, an English chronicler who lived during the end of the 11th and beginning of the 12th century. Nothing more is known of him than that he was a monk of Worcester, that he had a great reputation for learning, and that he died on the 5th June 1118. His Chronicle begins with the creation of the world and ends with the year of his death. The earlier part is compiled from the Chronicle of Marianus Scotus, and the greater part of that which relates to English history is a translation from the Saxon Chronicle; but as he approaches his own times the independent value of his work increases, and in regard to contemporary events he is one of the most valuable of existing authorities. The Chronicle of Florence was continued from 1118 to 1141 by an anonymous writer.
An edition of the Chronicle was published at London in 1592, and another at Frankfort in 1601. It is also included in the Collection of Historians, edited by order of the Records Commission; and a translation with notes by Thos. Forester is contained in Bohn’s Antiquarian Library.
FLORES, also called Endeh and Mangeraai, an island of the East Indian Archipelago belonging to the residency of Timor. It lies in a line with Java between Sumbava on the west and Timor on the east, and stretches from 8° 3′ to 9° 59′ S. lat., and from 119° 49′ to 123° 1′ E. long. It is about 230 miles long, and from 20 to 40 broad, and its area is estimated at about 8900 square miles. Like most of the islands of the archipelago, it is both mountainous and volcanic, among the loftier summits being Ombuu Romba or Gunong Keo, 9054 feet in height; Lobetabi or, in a corrupted form, Lovotivo, 7115; Ombuu Soro or Gunong Rokka, 6557; and Larantuka or Ilimandiri, 5180. The interior is very partially explored, though the forests are neither so dense nor so extensive as in Borneo or Celebes. Besides amber, which is found on the coast, the mineral products consist of sulphur, pumice-stone, copper, and a little iron and gold. Sandal-wood, rice, wild cinnamon, and birds’ nests are the most important articles of export, giving rise to a considerable trade with Celebes, Timor, Batavia, and Singapore. The inhabitants are mainly of Malay origin, and the language appears to be akin to that of Bima. There are considerable settlements of Buginese and Wadjorese. Portugal lays claim to certain portions of the island, but practically it is all under Dutch supremacy. Christianity has been introduced by the Portuguese on the east coast, and the converts are visited from time to time by priests from Timor.
FLOREZ, Enrique (1701–1773), a Spanish historical scholar, was born at Valladolid in 1701. In his fifteenth year he entered the order of St Augustine, professed theology at the university of Alcala, and published a Cursus Theologiæ in 5 vols. 4to (1732–1738). He afterwards devoted himself exclusively to historical studies. Of these the first fruit was his Clave Historial, a work of the same class as the French Art de Vérifier les Dates, and preceding it by several years. It appeared in 1743, and passed through many editions. In 1747 was published the first volume of La España Sagrada, a vast compilation of local ecclesiastical history which obtained a European reputation, and of which 29 volumes appeared in the author’s lifetime. It was continued after his death by Fathers Risco and Fernandez, and further additions have been made at the expense of the Spanish Government. The value of the work is considerably increased by the insertion of ancient chronicles and documents not easily accessible elsewhere. Florez was a good numismatist, and published España Carpetana: Medallas de las Colonias, in 2 vols. 4to (1757–1758). A third volume appeared in 1773. His last work was the Memorias de las reynas Catolicas, 2 vols. 4to (1770). Florez led a retired, studious, and unambitious life, and died at Madrid in May or August 1773.
FLORIAN, the patron saint of Poland, was born at Zeiselmauer, Lower Austria, about the year 190. He served as a captain in the Roman army, and suffered death by drowning about the year 230, during the persecution of the Christians by the emperor Diocletian. His remains are said to have been buried on the site of the present Augustinian monastery at St Florian near Linz, but were afterwards transferred to Rome. About 1183 a portion of them was presented to King Casimir of Poland, and from that time Florian became the patron saint of that country. He is represented as a warrior holding in his hand a vessel from which he pours out flames, and on this account his protection is often sought against fire. His day in the calendar is August 4.
FLORIAN, Jean Pierre Claris de (1755–1794), a French poet and romancist, was born at the chateau of Florian, near Sauve, in that part of Languedoc which now forms the department of Gard. His mother, a Spanish lady named Gilette de Salgues, died when he was quite a child, and the person who seemed to have had most influence on his early years was his grandfather, an old noble who had run through his estate. His uncle, the marquis of Florian, who had married a niece of Voltaire, introduced him at Ferney, and Florianet, as he was soon affectionately nick-named, spent a pleasant time with the old dictator of French literature. In 1768 he became page in the household of the duke of Penthièvre at Anet, and throughout his life he was the object of the powerful patronage of that cultured nobleman. Having studied for some time at the artillery school at Bapaume he obtained from the duke a commission in a dragoon regiment, and in this capacity it is said he displayed a boisterous behaviour as unlike as might be to what the reader of his works would naturally imagine. He afterwards left the army and became gentleman in ordinary. On the breaking out of the French Revolution he retired to Sceaux, but he was soon discovered and dragged to prison by the Parisian sans-culottes; and though his incarceration was not of long continuance, it so injured his health that he survived his release only a few months. His death took place on September 13, 1794.
