Niccolò Barbo ( – 1462) was a

Venetian patrician The Venetian patriciate ( it, Patriziato veneziano, vec, Patrisiato venesian) was one of the three social bodies into which the society of the Republic of Venice was divided, together with citizens and foreigners. was the Imperial, royal and n ...

, official and

Renaissance humanist Renaissance humanism was a revival in the study of classical antiquity, at first in Italy and then spreading across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. During the period, the term ''humanist'' ( it, umanista) referred to teache ...

Life

Barbo was born in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

around 1420. He was the son of Piero (Pietro) Barbo and Chiara Bocco. He was distantly related to Paolo Barbo and

Pietro Barbo Pope Paul II ( la, Paulus II; it, Paolo II; 23 February 1417 – 26 July 1471), born Pietro Barbo, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 August 1464 to his death in July 1471. When his maternal uncle Eugene IV ...

. He studied under

George of Trebizond George of Trebizond ( el, Γεώργιος Τραπεζούντιος; 1395–1486) was a Byzantine Greek philosopher, scholar, and humanist. Life He was born on the Greek island of Crete (then a Venetian colony known as the Kingdom of Candia), an ...

and Paolo della Pergola.; . He was presented for the ' to the Great Council in 1438. In 1440, Barbo served as Venetian ambassador to

Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandria ...

. In 1441, he was an ''advocatus per omnes curias'', one of the staff lawyers in the

Doge's Palace The Doge's Palace ( it, Palazzo Ducale; vec, Pałaso Dogal) is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme auth ...

. In 1444, he was one of the officials of the wine tax and head of the

Council of Forty The Council of Forty ( it, Consiglio dei Quaranta), also known as the ''Quarantia'', was one of the highest constitutional bodies of the Republic of Venice, with both legal and political functions as the supreme court. Origins and evolution By some ...

. In 1448, he served as ambassador to the

Counts of Segni The counts of Segni ( it, Conti di Segni, la, de Comitibus Signie, also known as ''Conti'' or ''De Comitibus'' for short) were an important noble family of medieval and early modern Italy originating in Segni, Lazio. Many members of the family ac ...

. In 1449, he was one of the ''

Savi agli Ordini The ''Savi agli Ordini'' or ''Savi ai Ordini'' () were senior magistrates of the Republic of Venice, charged with supervision of maritime matters, including commerce, the Venetian navy and the Republic's oversees colonies (). History The five wer ...

'' and, in 1450, one of the '. From 1450 to 1453, he was the ''visdomino'' of Ferrara. In 1453, Barbo married Pellegrina di Tommaso Franceschi. They had three children: Marino, Pietro and Girolamo. In 1457, Barbo was one of the ducal elector at the election of

Pasquale Malipiero file: Interior of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Venice) - Monument to the doge Pasquale Malipiero.jpg, Monument Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, In San Giovanni e Paolo Pasquale Malipiero, called the ''dux pacificus'' (1392 in Venice – May 5, 146 ...

. He died in 1462. His death took place before 31 August, the date on which Maffeo Vallaresso addressed a letter of consolation to Barbo's brother Giovanni.

Writings and correspondence

Flavio Biondo Flavio Biondo (Latin Flavius Blondus) (1392 – June 4, 1463) was an Italian Renaissance humanist historian. He was one of the first historians to use a three-period division of history (Ancient, Medieval, Modern) and is known as one of the f ...

praises Barbo for his "literary accomplishment". A collection of his correspondence—eleven letters in total—is found in two manuscripts, Lat. XIV 256 and 257 in the

Biblioteca Marciana The Marciana Library or Library of Saint Mark ( it, italic=no, Biblioteca Marciana, but in historical documents commonly referred to as ) is a public library in Venice, Italy. It is one of the earliest surviving public libraries and repositori ...

. They cover the period 1438–1442. Included are letters to Paolo Barbo,

Isotta Nogarola Isotta Nogarola (1418–1466) was an Italian writer and intellectual who is said to be the first major female humanist and one of the most important humanists of the Italian Renaissance. She inspired generations of artists and writers, among them ...

, Antonio Beccadelli, Andrea Trapesunzio, and Jacopo Rizzoni, as well as letters from Nogarola and

Giovanni Pontano Giovanni Pontano (1426–1503), later known as Giovanni Gioviano ( la, Ioannes Iovianus Pontanus), was a humanist and poet from Cerreto di Spoleto, in central Italy. He was the leading figure of the Accademia Pontaniana after the death of Antonio ...

. Some of his correspondence is preserved outside of the collection. This includes two further letters to Nogarola and one from her, letters to and from Francesco Barbaro and letters from Maffeo Vallaresso and

Guarino Veronese Guarino Veronese or Guarino da Verona (1374 – 14 December 1460) was an Italian classical scholar, humanist, and translator of ancient Greek texts during the Renaissance. In the republics of Florence and Venice he studied under Manuel Chrysolor ...

. In his letter to Tommaso Pontano dated 24 November 1439, Barbo defended Nogarola from anonymous accusers. On 27 March 1442 in Padua, Barbo delivered a speech honouring when the latter received his doctorate of arts. The ''Oratio in laudem nobilissimi viri Francisci Contareni'' is preserved in three manuscripts. Barbo is probably also the author of a short oration preserved amongst his letters. According to the heading, it was a piece of "silliness" (''ineptias'') composed when its author was fifteen, but much praised by his younger brother. Also possibly belonging to Barbo is the ''Sermo de sancto Romualdo'', which has been attributed to

Marco Barbo Marco Barbo (1420 – 2 March 1491) of Venice was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church (1467) and patriarch of Aquileia (1470). He was a member of the noble Barbo family and a third cousin of Pietro Barbo, who became Pope Paul II. In Rome ...

. Around 1440, Barbo and two of his friends, Francesco Contarini and , wrote a collective response to

Poggio Bracciolini Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini (11 February 1380 – 30 October 1459), usually referred to simply as Poggio Bracciolini, was an Italian scholar and an early Renaissance humanist. He was responsible for rediscovering and recovering many classi ...

's ''De nobilitate''. The resulting ''Epistola nobilium virorum patritiorum ad Petrum Thomasium Physicum postulantium iudicium in causa Poiani dialogi positi in controversia de nobilitate'', which all three signed but which Quirini wrote, is a defence of the

Venetian nobility The Venetian patriciate ( it, Patriziato veneziano, vec, Patrisiato venesian) was one of the three social bodies into which the society of the Republic of Venice was divided, together with citizens and foreigners. was the Imperial, royal and n ...

.; . An English translation is in .

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{refend Barbo family 15th-century births 1462 deaths Venetian Renaissance humanists Republic of Venice diplomats