Rodolfo Acquaviva
Encyclopedia
Rodolfo Acquaviva Italian Jesuit missionary to India, at the court of Akbar the Great
, 1580–1583; Martyred, 1583; Blessed, 1893.
Son of Giangirolamo Acquaviva, 10th Duke of Atri, great-grandson of Andrea Matteo Acquaviva
, condottiere and man of letters, Rodolfo (also Ridolfo, Rudolfo) belonged to a powerful and illustrious family of Germanic origin settled in the Kingdom of Naples since the twelfth century. Inspired by the example of his uncle Claudio Acquaviva
who joined the Society of Jesus in 1567 and ruled it as 5th General of the Jesuits between 1581 and 1615, he became a novice at Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
in Rome together with Stanislas Kostka. After completing his studies Acquaviva was chosen by his superiors for the prestigious and challenging Indian missions, begun by Francis Xavier
in the Portughese territory of Goa
and he travelled to Lisbon
, starting point for the voyage east. There he was ordained a priest and sailed for India in 1578. At first he taught at Saint Paul's College, Goa
but was then assigned as the leader of a mission to the court of Akbar (1542–1605) upon the request of Grand Mughal
. In his new palace in Fatehpur Sikri
Akbar built the Ibadat Khana
(House of Worship) where he invited leaders of the Muslim, Hindu and other religions to debate points of religious truth, including Acquaviva and his companion Jesuit Francisco Henriques who spoke Persian. Akbar was interested in founding a new pantheistic religion with elements from different traditions and his new faith was called Din-i-Ilahi
("Faith of the Divine")
Although he came equipped with the Bible translated into many different languages, (though not yet Persian) and was the object of Akbar's sympathetic personal attention, the Jesuit felt his efforts were fruitless, one obstacle being the ruler's repugnance to monogamy, and he decided to withdraw, though other Jesuits maintained the mission at the courts of the Mughal Emperors and in Agra
for the next two centuries.
Upon his return to Goa as part of his missionary commitments he led a mission to the Hindu
Kshatriyas of Salcette
, south of Goa. This was seen as a provocation to the local community some of whose temples had already been destroyed by Jesuits and Portughese troops. It incited the Cuncolim Revolt of July, 1583. Acquaviva was murdered opening his collar to the scimitar of his assassin and calling to God. He and his four Jesuit companions were beatified by pope Leo XIII
in 1893.
Akbar the Great
Akbar , also known as Shahanshah Akbar-e-Azam or Akbar the Great , was the third Mughal Emperor. He was of Timurid descent; the son of Emperor Humayun, and the grandson of the Mughal Emperor Zaheeruddin Muhammad Babur, the ruler who founded the Mughal dynasty in India...
, 1580–1583; Martyred, 1583; Blessed, 1893.
Andrea Matteo Acquaviva
Andrea Matteo Acquaviva, 8th Duca d'Atri was an Italian nobleman and condottiero from the Kingdom of Naples, who distinguished himself as a partisan of the French. He was made prisoner by Consalvo of Cordova and carried into Spain; but his confinement was not long, and on his return to Naples he...
, condottiere and man of letters, Rodolfo (also Ridolfo, Rudolfo) belonged to a powerful and illustrious family of Germanic origin settled in the Kingdom of Naples since the twelfth century. Inspired by the example of his uncle Claudio Acquaviva
Claudio Acquaviva
Claudio Acquaviva was an Italian Jesuit priest elected in 1581 the 5th Superior General of the Society of Jesus...
who joined the Society of Jesus in 1567 and ruled it as 5th General of the Jesuits between 1581 and 1615, he became a novice at Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
The Church of Saint Andrew's at the Quirinal is a Roman Catholic titular church in Rome, built for of the Jesuit seminary on the Quirinal Hill....
in Rome together with Stanislas Kostka. After completing his studies Acquaviva was chosen by his superiors for the prestigious and challenging Indian missions, begun by Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
in the Portughese territory of Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
and he travelled to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, starting point for the voyage east. There he was ordained a priest and sailed for India in 1578. At first he taught at Saint Paul's College, Goa
Saint Paul's College, Goa
St. Paul's College was a Jesuit college founded circa 1542 at Old Goa. It was once the main Jesuit institution in India. It housed the first printing press in India, having published the first books in 1556...
but was then assigned as the leader of a mission to the court of Akbar (1542–1605) upon the request of Grand Mughal
Grand Mughal
Grand Mughal or Mogul is a title coined by Europeans for the ruler of the Mughal Empire in India. It is especially associated with the third in the line, Akbar the Great . The Mughals themselves used the title Padishah....
. In his new palace in Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur Sikri is a city and a municipal board in Agra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Built near the much older Sikri, the historical city of Fatehabad, as it was first named, was constructed by Mughal emperor Akbar beginning in 1570...
Akbar built the Ibadat Khana
Ibadat Khana
The Ibādat Khāna was a meeting house built in 1575 CE by the Mughal Emperor Akbar at his palace in Fatehpur Sikri to gather religious leaders of many faiths in discussion....
(House of Worship) where he invited leaders of the Muslim, Hindu and other religions to debate points of religious truth, including Acquaviva and his companion Jesuit Francisco Henriques who spoke Persian. Akbar was interested in founding a new pantheistic religion with elements from different traditions and his new faith was called Din-i-Ilahi
Din-i-Ilahi
The Dīn-i Ilāhī was a syncretic religious doctrine propounded by the Mughal emperor Jalālu d-Dīn Muḥammad Akbar , who ruled the Indian subcontinent from 1556 to 1605, intending to merge the best elements of the religions of his empire, and thereby reconcile the differences that divided his subjects...
("Faith of the Divine")
Although he came equipped with the Bible translated into many different languages, (though not yet Persian) and was the object of Akbar's sympathetic personal attention, the Jesuit felt his efforts were fruitless, one obstacle being the ruler's repugnance to monogamy, and he decided to withdraw, though other Jesuits maintained the mission at the courts of the Mughal Emperors and in Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
for the next two centuries.
Upon his return to Goa as part of his missionary commitments he led a mission to the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Kshatriyas of Salcette
Salcette
Salcette , is a taluka of South Goa District in the Indian state of Goa. Its administrative and economic headquarters is Margao. It is largely coterminous with a region called Sashti , which comprised, by local tradition, sixty-six villages, hence the name. However, it also includes the taluka of...
, south of Goa. This was seen as a provocation to the local community some of whose temples had already been destroyed by Jesuits and Portughese troops. It incited the Cuncolim Revolt of July, 1583. Acquaviva was murdered opening his collar to the scimitar of his assassin and calling to God. He and his four Jesuit companions were beatified by pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
in 1893.