Vittorio Siri or Francesco Siri (1608–1685) was an Italian

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

Life

Siri was born in

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

, and studied at the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

convent of

San Giovanni Evangelista, Parma San Giovanni Evangelista is a church in Parma, northern Italy, part of a complex also including a Benedictine convent and grocery. History Works for the abbey and church were started in the 10th century over a pre-existing oratory associated with ...

, where he pronounced his

vows A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise, a promise solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a weddi ...

on December 25, 1625. At first, he specialized in

geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...

, and taught

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

in Venice. There he befriended the French

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

and took a liking to political matters. In 1640, Siri published a book about the occupation of

Casale Monferrato Casale Monferrato () is a town in the Piedmont region of Italy, in the province of Alessandria. It is situated about east of Turin on the right bank of the Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montferrat hills. Beyond the river lies the v ...

(''Il politico soldato Monferrino'') defending the French position. This earned him the patronage of

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

, who granted him access to the French archives. Based on what he found in the archives, Siri set up to publish ''Il Mercurio overo historia de' correnti tempi'' ('Mercury, or the History of Current Times'), a monumental work in 15 volumes, published in Venice between 1644 and 1682 and translated into

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

by Jean Baptiste Requier. Besides the ''Mercurio Politico'' Siri wrote another historical work, entitled ''Memorie Recondite'', which fills eight volumes. Both these works contain a vast number of valuable authentic documents. In 1648 Genoese historian and

polygraph A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked an ...

Giovanni Battista Birago Avogadro offended Siri by publishing a survey of Europe in the year 1642 which he called ''Mercurio veridico'', an undisguised slight of the latter's ''Mercurio'', whose second volume appeared that same year. The affront was answered by Siri in 1653 with a whole book that enumerated Birago's mistakes and charged him with dishonesty (''Bollo di D. Vittorio Siri'').

Cardinal Mazarin Cardinal Jules Mazarin (, also , , ; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino () or Mazarini, was an Italian cardinal, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Louis XIII and Louis X ...

honored Siri with a pension and the title of Counsellor of State, chaplain and historian of the king of France. Siri therefore moved to France in 1649 and from 1655 he lived at the court. In the meanwhile he served as the representative in France of the duke of Parma and wrote

newsletters A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of in ...

for that duke as well as for the rival duke of Modena. He died in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

on 6 October 1685.

Works

* ''Problemata et theoremata geometrica et mecanica'', Bologna, 1633. * *''Il politico Soldato Monferrino, ovvero discorso politico sopra gli affari di Casale'' published under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

''Capitano Latino Verità'', Casale (Venice), 1640. *''Il Mercurio overo historia de' correnti tempi'' in 15 volumes in-4°, 1644–1682. *''Memorie recondite'' in 8 volumes in-4°, 1676-79.

Bibliography

References

External links

* * 17th-century Italian mathematicians Italian Christian monks 1608 births 1685 deaths 17th-century Italian historians {{Italy-reli-bio-stub