Giovanni Pietro Maffei (1533–1603), also anglicized as John Peter Maffei, was an Italian Jesuit and author.Baldwin, p.293
/ref> He wrote a life of

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian, ...

, founder of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, and also wrote about the activities of the Society in the Orient.

Biography

Giovanni Pietro Maffei was born at Bergamo about 1536; he was for a time professor at

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

, became in 1564 secretary of the government at that place, and in 1565 joined the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

, among whom he gained a great reputation. Brought to the notice of cardinal Henry, of Portugal, he was called to Lisbon. He died in Tivoli in 1603. Maffei wrote ''De vita et moribus Ignatii Loiolae'' (Romae 1585): — ''Historiarum Indicarum libri XVI'' (Florentiae, 1589; often reprinted): — ''Vite di XVII confessori di Cristo'' (Roma, 1601). At the request of

Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for ...

he wrote a history of the reign of that pope, which remained in MS. until 1743, when it was published at Rome by Carlo Coquelines. A History of India, written by request of cardinal Henry, was published without Maffei's name, though he was its author. His collected works, accompanied by a biographical sketch, were published under the style ''Io. Petri Maffeii Bergomatis e Societate Iesu opera omnia Latine scripta, nunc primum in unum corpus collecta'' (Verona, 1747, 2 vols. 4to).

Works

* ''De vita et moribus Ignatii Loiolae qui Societatem Iesu fundavit, libri III'', apud Franciscum Zannettum, Romae 1585. * ''Vite di XVII confessori di Cristo'', Roma 1601. * ''Le istorie delle Indie orientali con una scelta di lettere scritte dall'Indie'', Filippo Giunti, Firenze 1589. Translated from latin to Italian by Francesco Serdonati, and published in two volumes in 183

* ''Historiarum Indicarum libri XVI. Selectarum item ex India epistolarum libri IV'', apud Philippum Iunctam, Florentiae 1589.'All about Tea, Volume 1', by William Harrison Ukers', page 25
/ref> * ''Degli Annali di Gregorio XIII pontefice massimo dati in luce da Carlo Coquelines'', Roma 1742.

Notes

References

* Charles N. Baldwin ''A Universal Biographical Dictionary, Containing the Lives of the Most Celebrated Characters of Every Age and Nation'' Andrus & Judd, 1833 * 1533 births 1603 deaths 16th-century Italian Jesuits Jesuit historiography 16th-century Italian historians 16th-century Latin-language writers 17th-century Latin-language writers {{Italy-historian-stub