Tommaso Campanella
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Tommaso Campanella (; 5 September 1568 – 21 May 1639), baptized Giovanni Domenico Campanella, was an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
Dominican friar The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...
,
philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
, theologian,
astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...
, and poet. He was prosecuted by the
Roman Inquisition The Roman Inquisition, formally the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition, was a system of partisan tribunals developed by the Holy See of the Roman Catholic Church, during the second half of the 16th century, respons ...
for heresy in 1594 and was confined to house arrest for two years. Accused of conspiring against the Spanish rulers of
Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
in 1599, he was tortured and sent to prison, where he spent 27 years. He wrote his most significant works during this time, including ''
The City of the Sun ''The City of the Sun'' ( it, La città del Sole; la, Civitas Solis) is a philosophical work by the Italian Dominican philosopher Tommaso Campanella. It is an important early utopian work. The work was written in Italian in 1602, shortly afte ...
'', a
utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
describing an egalitarian theocratic society where property is held in common.


Biography

Born into poverty in
Stilo , image_skyline = Stilo vecchio 2.jpg , imagesize = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_shield = Stilo-Stemma.png , shield_alt = , image_map = , map_alt = , m ...
, in the province of
Reggio di Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label=Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popula ...
in
Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
, southern Italy, Campanella was a child prodigy. Son of an illiterate
cobbler Cobbler(s) may refer to: *A person who Shoemaking, repairs, and sometimes makes, shoes Places * The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland * Mount Cobbler, Australia Art, entertainment and media * The Cobbler (1923 ...
, he entered the
Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...
before the age of fourteen,Ernst, Germana, "Tommaso Campanella", ''The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy''
(Fall 2014 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.)
taking the name of fra' Tommaso in honour of
Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...
. He studied theology and philosophy with several masters. Early on, he became disenchanted with the Aristotelian orthodoxy and attracted by the
empiricism In philosophy, empiricism is an epistemological theory that holds that knowledge or justification comes only or primarily from sensory experience. It is one of several views within epistemology, along with rationalism and skepticism. Empir ...
of
Bernardino Telesio Bernardino Telesio (; 7 November 1509 – 2 October 1588) was an Italian philosopher and natural scientist. While his natural theories were later disproven, his emphasis on observation made him the "first of the moderns" who eventually devel ...
(1509–1588), who taught that knowledge is sensation and that all things in nature possess sensation. Campanella wrote his first work, ''Philosophia sensibus demonstrata'' ("Philosophy demonstrated by the senses"), published in 1592, in defence of Telesio. In 1590 he was in
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
where he was initiated in
astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...
; astrological speculations would become a constant feature in his writings. Campanella's
heterodox In religion, heterodoxy (from Ancient Greek: , "other, another, different" + , "popular belief") means "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position". Under this definition, heterodoxy is similar to unorthodoxy, w ...
views, especially his opposition to the authority of
Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
, brought him into conflict with the ecclesiastical authorities. Denounced to the
Roman Inquisition The Roman Inquisition, formally the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition, was a system of partisan tribunals developed by the Holy See of the Roman Catholic Church, during the second half of the 16th century, respons ...
, he was arrested in Padua in 1594 and cited before the
Holy Office The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from heresy and is the body responsible f ...
in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
, he was confined in a
convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
until 1597."Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639)", The Galileo Project, Rice University
/ref> After his liberation, Campanella returned to Calabria, where he was accused of leading a conspiracy against the
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
rule in his hometown of Stilo. Campanella's aim was to establish a society based on the
community of goods Common ownership refers to holding the assets of an organization, enterprise or community indivisibly rather than in the names of the individual members or groups of members as common property. Forms of common ownership exist in every economi ...
and wives, for on the basis of the prophecies of
Joachim of Fiore Joachim of Fiore, also known as Joachim of Flora and in Italian Gioacchino da Fiore (c. 1135 – 30 March 1202), was an Italian Christian theologian, Catholic abbot, and the founder of the monastic order of San Giovanni in Fiore. According to th ...
and his own astrological observations, he foresaw the advent of the Age of the Spirit in the year 1600. Betrayed by two of his fellow conspirators, he was captured in 1599 and incarcerated in Naples, where he was tortured on the
rack Rack or racks may refer to: Storage and installation * Amp rack, short for amplifier rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted * Bicycle rack, a frame for storing bicycles when not in use * Bustle rack, a type of storage bi ...
. Even from the confinement of the jail, Campanella managed to influence the intellectual history of the early seventeenth century, by maintaining epistolary contacts with European philosophers and scientists, Neapolitan cultural circles, and Caravaggio's commissioners. Finally, Campanella made a full confession and would have been put to death had he not feigned madness and set his cell on fire. He was tortured further, a total of seven times. Crippled and ill, Campanella was sentenced to life imprisonment. Campanella spent twenty-seven years imprisoned in Naples, in various fortresses. During his detention, he wrote his most important works: ''The Monarchy of Spain'' (1600), ''Political Aphorisms'' (1601), ''Atheismus triumphatus'' (''
Atheism Conquered ''Atheism Conquered'' ( la, Atheismus Triumphatus) is a philosophical work by the Italian Dominican philosopher Tommaso Campanella. Campanella wrote ''Atheism Conquered'' in 1606–1607 in Italian, under the title of ''Recognoscimento della vera ...
'', 1605–1607), ''Quod reminiscetur'' (1606?), ''Metafisica'' (1609–1623), ''Theologia'' (1613–1624), and his most famous work, ''
The City of the Sun ''The City of the Sun'' ( it, La città del Sole; la, Civitas Solis) is a philosophical work by the Italian Dominican philosopher Tommaso Campanella. It is an important early utopian work. The work was written in Italian in 1602, shortly afte ...
'' (originally written in Italian in 1602; published in Latin in Frankfurt (1623) and later in Paris (1638). He defended
Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...
in Galileo's first trial with his work ''The Defense of Galileo'' (written in 1616, published in 1622). In 1632, before Galileo's second trial, Campanella wrote to Galileo:
To my great disgust I have heard that wrathful theologians of the Congregation aim to prohibit the Dialogues of Your Excellency, and
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
no one will be present who understands mathematics or recondite things. Be aware that while Your Excellency does state that it was appropriate to prohibit the theory of the earth's motion, you are not obliged to believe that the reasons of those who contradicted you are good. This is a theological rule, and is proved by the second Council of Nicaea which decreed that ''Angelorum imagines depingi debent, quam‘am vere corporei sunt'' (Images of angels must be depicted as they are in the flesh): while the decree is valid, the reasoning behind it is not, since all scholars today say angels are incorporeal. There are many other fundamental reasons. I fear violence from people who do not understand this. Our Pope makes a lot of noise against this and speaks as the Pope, but you haven't heard about that, nor can think about it. In my opinion Your Excellency should write to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, that since they are putting Dominicans, Jesuits, Theatines, and secular priests who are against your books in this council, they should also admit Father Castelli and me.
Campanella was finally released from prison in 1626, through
Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...
, who personally interceded on his behalf with
Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...
. Taken to
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
and held for a time by the Holy Office, Campanella was restored to full liberty in 1629 as Urban badly needed Campanella's magical skills to protect him from the dangers of two upcoming
eclipses An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...
. The Pope's enemies thought they could take advantage of his credulity, and they confidently predicted that the eclipses in 1628 and 1630 surely heralded the Pope's demise. Campanella put into effect the natural magic practices described in his short treatise ''De siderali fato vitando'' (How To Avoid the Fate Dictated by the Stars). Campanella's magic worked and the Pope survived. In return the latter allowed the magician to set up a school in Rome to preach his ideas, while ignoring his blatant heresies.He lived for five years in Rome, where he was Urban's advisor in astrological matters. In 1634, a new conspiracy in Calabria, led by one of his followers, threatened fresh troubles. With the aid of
Cardinal Barberini The House of Barberini are a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban palac ...
and the French Ambassador de Noailles, he fled to France, where he was received at the court of
Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...
with marked favour. Protected by Cardinal Richelieu and granted a pension by the king, he spent the rest of his days in the convent of Saint-Honoré 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 ...
. His last work was a poem celebrating the birth of the future
Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...
(''Ecloga in portentosam Delphini nativitatem''). Campanella's ''De sensu rerum et magia'' (1620) partly inspired the first fully-fledged it-narrative in English,
Charles Gildon Charles Gildon (c. 1665 – 1 January 1724), was an English hack writer who was, by turns, a translator, biographer, essayist, playwright, poet, author of fictional letters, fabulist, short story author, and critic. He provided the source for m ...
's ''The Golden Spy'' (1709).J. Wu, " 'Nobilitas sola est atq; unica Virtus': Spying and the Politics of Virtue in ''The Golden Spy; or, A Political Journal of the British Nights Entertainments'' (1709)", ''Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies'' 40:2 (2017), 237-253 doi: 10.1111/1754-0208.12412


Works

* ''Philosophia sensibus demonstrata'', 1591 * ''Monarchia Messiae'', 1605 * ''Prodromus philosophiae instaurandae'', 1617 * * ''La città del sole'', 1602 (Latin ''Civitas solis'', 1623) * ''Atheismus triumphatus'', 1631, Paris 1636 * * * * * Campanella, Tommaso – Apologia pro Galileo, 1622 – BEIC 1235148.jpg, ''Apologia pro Galileo'', 1622


See also

*
Utopian and dystopian fiction Utopian and dystopian fiction are genres of speculative fiction that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays a setting that agrees with the author's ethos, having various attributes of another reality intended to appeal to ...
* Millennialism


Notes


References

*


External links

* * * *
Peter Forshaw (2010)
'Astrology, Ritual and Revolution in the Works of Tommaso Campanella (1568-1639)'. * Works in English translations *
''The City of the Sun''
A Poetical Dialogue between a Grandmaster of the Knights Hospitallers and a Genoese Sea-Captain, his guest. Translated to English by editor Henry Morley, Project Gutenberg. *
City of the Sun
(text derived from Ideal Commonwealths, P.F. Collier & Son, New York. 1901. Displayed by eBooks@Adelaide University of Adelaide Library, South Australia) *
''Ideal Commonwealths''
Contains excerpts from ''City of the Sun'' and short biography, by Editor: Henry Morley, Professor of English Literature at University College, London; Fifth Edition, 1890, Project Gutenberg. *
''Sonnets of Michelangelo Buonarrotti and Tommaso Campanella
1878; translated into Rhymed English, by
John Addington Symonds John Addington Symonds, Jr. (; 5 October 1840 – 19 April 1893) was an English poet and literary critic. A cultural historian, he was known for his work on the Renaissance, as well as numerous biographies of writers and artists. Although m ...
, author of ''Renaissance in Italy''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Campanella 1568 births 1639 deaths People from Stilo Italian philosophers 16th-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians Italian male writers Italian astrologers 16th-century astrologers 17th-century astrologers Italian Dominicans Authors of utopian literature 16th-century Italian writers 16th-century male writers 17th-century Italian writers 17th-century male writers 17th-century Italian philosophers Italian expatriates in France Critics of atheism Proto-socialists 17th-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians 16th-century socialists