Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Childhood and Early Life

Italian philosopher and humanist, an exponent of the Pico dynasty, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was born on the 24 February 1463.

Education

In 1477 Giovanni Pico della Mirandola was enrolled at Bologna University to study canonical law.

Rise to Fame

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola lived in Ferrara as well as Padua which at the time offered a vibrant environment for philosophical studies. In 1484, he relocated to Florence. Then in July 1485, he moved to Paris, France where he stayed for nine months. Upon his return to Italy, he focused on studying Cabbalist, Chaldaic and Hebrew texts.

Career

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola's writings drew the ire of the church, and in August 1486, Pope Innocent VIII banned his work. Mirandola left Rome but was arrested in France in 1488 and spent a month in prison. He then lived in Fiesole, near Florance. Pope Alexander VII absolved Mirandola of the heresy charges on the 18 June 1493, and his work was no longer banned.

Later Years

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola spent his final year in the convent of St Mark in Florence where he concentrated on religious meditation. He died on the 17 November 1494.

Legacy

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola left major works dealing with the dignity of Man. In 1994, The International Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Culture Centre was established.