Accolti, Benedetto (1415–1464)

Italian jurist and writer. Born in Arezzo, he taught law at the university of Florence and in 1458 became chancellor of the Florentine republic. He is chiefly remembered for his history of the First Crusade, which is the basis of the epic poem Gerusalemme liberata (1574) by the Italian poet Tasso.

His history of the First Crusade, which describes Duke Godfrey of Bouillon's conquest of Palestine, was published in Latin as De bello a Christianis contra Barbaros gesto pro Christi Sepulchro/The Christian War Against the Barbarians for Christ's Sepulchre in 1532 and translated into Italian in 1543. He was the father of Bernardo Accolti and Pietro Accolti, and the brother of Francesco Accolti.