Giovanni Battista Niccolini (29 October 1782 – 20 September 1861) was an Italian poet and playwright of the

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

movement or Risorgimento.

Life

In 1782, Niccolini was born in Bagni San Giuliano to a family of limited means. He initiated studied in law at the

University of Pisa The University of Pisa ( it, Università di Pisa, UniPi), officially founded in 1343, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. History The Origins The University of Pisa was officially founded in 1343, although various scholars place ...

, but also pursued studies in classical languages. The upheavals of the Napoleonic era and the early death of his father, led him to seek employment. In 1807, he was named professor of history and mythology at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Florence. He wrote his first play in Greek in 1810. The play was strongly based on Greek legend and it was called ''Polissena''. This tragedy about the sacrifice of a virgin was so favourably received that his next three plays were also tragedies. He also served as librarian and tutor. Despite his republican leanings, he was spared retribution by the administration of the returning Grand Duke Ferdinand III, and obtained a post as Palatine librarian. Over the years, Niccolini became more attached to the scholarly pre-eminence of classic learning, but also in the pre-eminence of the Tuscan dialect and writers such as Dante. In the post-napoleonic years, controversy arose about the

Accademia della Crusca The Accademia della Crusca (; "Academy of the Bran"), generally abbreviated as La Crusca, is a Florence-based society of scholars of Italian linguistics and philology. It is one of the most important research institutions of the Italian language ...

's dominance in defining the Italian language. In the 1820s, and unexpected inheritance from his maternal family, gave him some financial stability. In 1827, his play ''Foscarini'', was mostly praised by audiences, although maligned by others for presumed anti-Catholic themes. His next play (1831) based on the controversial history of

Giovanni da Procida John of Procida ( it, Giovanni da Procida) (1210–1298) was an Italian medieval physician and diplomat. He was born in Salerno, educated in the Schola Medica as a physician. He was a noted physician for his age and received a professorial cha ...

, seen in this work as a defender of Italian liberty, faced opposition by both the French and Austrian diplomats. In 1834, he published another tragedy based on events of Italian history of

Ludovico Sforza Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; "the Moor"). "Arbiter of Italy", according to the expression used by Guicciardini,

. This was followed by ''Rosmonda d'Inghilterra'' in 1839. In 1847, he published ''Filippo Strozzi'', in which the Florentine hero fights against foreign forces for the liberty of his Tuscany. In 1846 his play, ''

Arnold of Brescia Arnold of Brescia ( 1090 – June 1155), also known as Arnaldus ( it, Arnaldo da Brescia), an Italian canon regular from Lombardy, called on the Church to renounce property-ownership and participated in the failed Commune of Rome of 1144� ...

: A Tragedy''. was translated by the English immigrant

Theodosia Trollope Theodosia Trollope (née Garrow; 1816–1865) was an English poet, translator, and writer known also for her marriage into the Trollope family. She married and bought a villa in Florence, Italy with her husband, Thomas Adolphus Trollope. Her ho ...

into English and published. This work was also taken up by

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...

. The work evoked the patriotism of those seeking to free Italy from the control of foreign and papal forces. Niccolini died in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

in 1861. He is buried in the Church of

Santa Croce, Florence The (Italian for 'Basilica of the Holy Cross') is the principal Franciscan church in Florence, Italy, and a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church. It is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about 800 meters south-east of the Duomo. The ...

close to Machiavelli.

Works

*''Polissena'' (1810) *''Edipo'' (1810–15) *''Ino e Temisto'' (1810–15) *''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

'' (1810–15) *''Nabucco'' (1815) *''Matilde'' (1815) *''

'' (1817) *''

Antonio Foscarini Antonio Foscarini (c. 1570 in Venice – April 22, 1622) belonged to the Venetian nobility and was Venetian ambassador to Paris and later to London. He was the third son of Nicolò di Alvise of the family branch of San Polo and Maria Barbarigo di ...

'' (1823) *''

Lodovico il Moro Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; "the Moor"). "Arbiter of Italy", according to the expression used by Guicciardini,

'' (1833) *'' Rosmunda d'Inghilterra'' (1834) *''

Beatrice Cenci Beatrice Cenci (; 6 February 157711 September 1599) was a Roman noblewoman who murdered her father, Count Francesco Cenci. She was beheaded in 1599 after a lurid murder trial in Rome that gave rise to an enduring legend about her. Life Beatri ...

'' (1838) 9*''

Arnaldo da Brescia Arnold of Brescia ( 1090 – June 1155), also known as Arnaldus ( it, Arnaldo da Brescia), an Italian Canons Regular , canon regular from Lombardy, called on the Roman Catholic Church , Church to renounce property-ownership and participated ...

'' (1840) *''Le Coefore'' (1844) *''

Filippo Strozzi Filippo is an Italian male given name, which is the equivalent of the English name Philip, from the Greek ''Philippos'', meaning "amante dei cavalli".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Philip" Retrieved on 23 January 2016. The female variant is Fil ...

'' (1846) *''

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...

e i

Cimbri The Cimbri (Greek Κίμβροι, ''Kímbroi''; Latin ''Cimbri'') were an ancient tribe in Europe. Ancient authors described them variously as a Celtic people (or Gaulish), Germanic people, or even Cimmerian. Several ancient sources indicate that ...

'' (1848)

On popular culture

Some of his words were used in the book reading by

La lettrice La Lettrice, also known as "Reading Girl", is a marble sculpture created by Pietro Magni in 1856, the original version is kept at the Galleria d'Arte Moderna (Milan), Details Unlike traditional sculptures, La Lettrice does not have an unexpres ...

sculpture created by Pietro Magni.

Legacy

There is a ''Via Giovanni Battista Niccolini'' in Chinatown in Milan.Via Giovanni Battista Niccolini
in Milan, OpenStreetMap, retrieved 23 November 2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niccolini, Giovanni Battista 1792 births 1861 deaths People from the Province of Pisa Italian poets Italian male poets Italian dramatists and playwrights Italian male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century poets 19th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Italian male writers