Paolo Giovio | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Nocera de' Pagani | |
%2c_by_Cristofano_dell%2527Altissimo_(Uffizi_Gallery%2c_Florence).jpg) Portrait byCristofano dell'Altissimo (1552–1568) | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Diocese of Nocera de' Pagani |
| In office | 1528–1552 |
| Predecessor | Domenico Giacobazzi |
| Successor | Giulio Giovio |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 17 Apr 1533 by Gabriele Mascioli Foschi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 April 1483 |
| Died | 11 December 1552(1552-12-11) (aged 69) |
Paolo Giovio (also spelledPaulo Jovio;Latin:Paulus Jovius; 19 April 1483 – 11 December 1552)[1] was an Italian physician, historian, biographer, and prelate.
Little is known about Giovio's youth. He was a native ofComo; his family was from theIsola Comacina ofLake Como. He belonged to the Zanobi, one of the oldest and most prominent families in Como, and was devoted to his cultural patrimony, especially to Como’s great historians, theelder andyounger Pliny.
His father, anotary, died around 1500. His guardian and mentor was his elder brother, Benedetto Giovio (1471– c. 1545), a prominent civic figure, local historian and antiquarian who, among other projects, was involved withCesare Cesariano on the translation and annotation ofVitruvius’De architectura (Como, 1521).
In compliance with his brother’s wishes, Paolo trained as aphysician inPavia andPadua (1498–1507), studying withMarcantonio della Torre andPietro Pomponazzi. He graduated in 1511.
Giovio worked as physician in Como but, after the plague spread in that city he moved toRome, settling there in 1513. He remained at the papal court for most of his career, moving among the great political and intellectual figures of the day and becoming a member of the Accademia della Virtù and theAccademia degli Intronati.Pope Leo X assigned him acathedra (chair) ofMoral Philosophy and, later, that ofNatural Philosophy in the Roman university. He was also knighted by the Pope.[2] In the same period he started to write historical essays. He wrote amemoir of Leo soon after his death.
In 1517, Giovio was appointed as the personal physician for CardinalGiulio di Giuliano de' Medici (the future Pope Clement VII). In the field he wrote some treatises, like theDe optima victus ratione, in which he expresses his doubts about the currentpharmacology, and the need to improve prevention before the cure.
Giovio helped Clement VII during the 1527sack of Rome. From 1526 to 1528, he stayed on the island ofIschia asVittoria Colonna's guest.[3] In 1528, he becamebishop of Nocera de' Pagani. Giovio wrote an account ofDmitry Gerasimov's embassy to Clement VII, which related detailed geographical data onMuscovy.
In 1536, Giovio had avilla built for him on Lake Como, which he calledMuseo, and which he used for his collection of portraits of famous soldiers and men of letters.[4] After Clement's death, he retired. As well as paintings, he sought antiquities, etc., and his collection was one of the first to include pieces from theNew World. A set of copies of the paintings from the collection, now known as theGiovio Series, is on display in theUffizi Gallery.
In 1549,Pope Paul III denied Giovio the title ofBishop of Como, and he moved toFlorence, where he died in 1552.
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Giovio is chiefly known as the author of a celebrated work of contemporary history,Historiarum sui temporis libri XLV, of a collection of lives of famous men,Vitae virorum illustrium (1549‑57), and ofElogia virorum bellica virtute illustrium,[4] (Florence, 1554), which may be translated asPraise of Men Illustrious for Courage in War (1554).
Giovio is best remembered as a chronicler of theItalian Wars. In his work,La prima parte dell'historie del suo tempo, Giovio claimed that Italian soldiers were despised following the Leagues' defeat atFornovo.[5] His eyewitness accounts of many of the battles form one of the most significant primary sources for the period. Many pages of his work are devoted toSkanderbeg.[6]
He is the oldest biographer ofRaphael.[7]
Giovio's notable work include:
In the sixteenth century, Paolo Giovio claimed that the defeat ruined the reputation of Italian soldiers, causing foreigners to despise them and beginning a chain of events which made Italy a servant.
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| Preceded by | Bishop of Nocera de' Pagani 1528–1552 | Succeeded by |
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