Jacopo Bonfadio
Encyclopedia
Jacopo Bonfadio was an Italian
humanist
and historian
.
Born in Garda he was educated at Verona
and Padua
. From 1532 he worked as the secretary of various members of the clergy in Rome
and Naples
, however in 1540 gained employment in Padua with the son of Cardinal
-humanist Pietro Bembo
. At this time he met and became friends with notable humanists of the time and was a contemporary of Annibal Caro. He also gained fame from his poetry
, for which reputation he was invited to teach philosophy
at the University of Genoa
in 1544. While there he was commissioned to write a history of the Republic of Genoa
since 1528.
In 1541, he among others, coined the term una terza natura, meaning nature improved by art, and subsequently many designers so conceived it. Large scale views of the Medici
villas, the grand vistas of Louis XIV
, and the planning of 16th century and later English country houses show how this term was incorporated.
His humanist views earned him some powerful enemies in Genoa. In 1550, after writing Annales Genuendis, ab anno 1528 recuperatae libertatis usque ad annum 1550 (his history of the Republic of Genoa from 1528 to 1550), his writing angered the powerful Genoese families the Dorias, the Adornos, the Spinolas and Fieschi, who sought revenge against Bonfadio for daring to record and judge their actions. They proceeded to accuse him of sodomy
, for which he was arrested, tried and condemned to death. He was beheaded
, and his body was burnt. The minutes of his trial were never found.
The Annales Genuendis have been translated into Italian by Paschetti, and a new Latin edition was published at Brescia in 1747.
Scholars have had difficulty determining the exact date of his execution. Most official sources report it as having taken place in 1550, while others give the date as 1560 or some even as late as 1580, though that has been widely disregarded by later scholars.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
humanist
Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...
and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
Born in Garda he was educated at Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
and Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
. From 1532 he worked as the secretary of various members of the clergy in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, however in 1540 gained employment in Padua with the son of Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
-humanist Pietro Bembo
Pietro Bembo
Pietro Bembo was an Italian scholar, poet, literary theorist, and cardinal. He was an influential figure in the development of the Italian language, specifically Tuscan, as a literary medium, and his writings assisted in the 16th-century revival of interest in the works of Petrarch...
. At this time he met and became friends with notable humanists of the time and was a contemporary of Annibal Caro. He also gained fame from his poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, for which reputation he was invited to teach philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the University of Genoa
University of Genoa
The University of Genoa is one of the largest universities in Italy.Located in Liguria on the Italian Riviera, the university was founded in 1471. It currently has about 40,000 students, 1,800 teaching and research staff and about 1,580 administrative staff.- Campus :The University of Genoa is...
in 1544. While there he was commissioned to write a history of the Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
since 1528.
In 1541, he among others, coined the term una terza natura, meaning nature improved by art, and subsequently many designers so conceived it. Large scale views of the Medici
Medici
The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...
villas, the grand vistas of Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, and the planning of 16th century and later English country houses show how this term was incorporated.
His humanist views earned him some powerful enemies in Genoa. In 1550, after writing Annales Genuendis, ab anno 1528 recuperatae libertatis usque ad annum 1550 (his history of the Republic of Genoa from 1528 to 1550), his writing angered the powerful Genoese families the Dorias, the Adornos, the Spinolas and Fieschi, who sought revenge against Bonfadio for daring to record and judge their actions. They proceeded to accuse him of sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
, for which he was arrested, tried and condemned to death. He was beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
, and his body was burnt. The minutes of his trial were never found.
The Annales Genuendis have been translated into Italian by Paschetti, and a new Latin edition was published at Brescia in 1747.
Scholars have had difficulty determining the exact date of his execution. Most official sources report it as having taken place in 1550, while others give the date as 1560 or some even as late as 1580, though that has been widely disregarded by later scholars.
Additional sources
- Biography of Jacopo Bonfadio (in ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
) - Biography at culturagay.it (in ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
)