Angelo Claudio Tolomei (1492 in
Asciano
Asciano () is a ''comune'' and hill town in the province of Siena in the Italy, Italian region Tuscany. It is located at the centre of the Crete senesi between the river Ombrone and the torrent Copra, some southeast of the town of Siena by rail. ...
– 1556 in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
) was an Italian
philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...
. His name in Italian is identical to that of
Claudius Ptolemaeus, the 2nd-century Greek astronomer. He belonged to the prominent Tolomei family of
Siena
Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...
, and became a bishop attached to the court of
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549.
He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...
.
Biography
He was born in 1492 to an affluent Senese family, and was a teacher of law at the
University of Siena from 1516 to 1518.
[
He then attached himself to the service of Cardinal Ippolito de' Medici, and is supposed to have had some part in the unsuccessfil military expedition andertaken by ]Pope Clement VII
Pope Clement VII (; ; born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the most unfortunate o ...
against Siena
Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...
, in 1526. At any rate, a sentence of banishment from his native city was passed upon him that year, which was not revoked until 1542. In 1527, he interested himself warmly for the imprisoned pontif, in whose behalf he composed five discourses addressed to the Emperor Charles V.
In 1532, he was sent by Cardinal Ippolito, in his own name, to Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
. Some time after the death of the cardinal, he entered the service of Pier Luigi Farnese, duke of Parma and Piacenza. He remained in Piacenza, with the title of Minister of Justice, until the tragical death of Pier Luigi, in 1547; he then retired to Padua
Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...
, where he remained until the following year, when he went to Rome.
In 1549, he was made bishop of Curzola, a small island in the Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
. In 1552, he was again in Siena, and had the honor to be appointed one of the sixteen citizens who were entrusted with the conservation of the public liberty. He was also sent with three others to thank the king of France for the protection he had accorded to the republic, and the discourse he delivered to that monarch at Compiègne
Compiègne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department of northern France. It is located on the river Oise (river), Oise, and its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois'' ().
Administration
Compiègne is t ...
has been preserved. He returned two years after, and died in Rome on March 23, 1553.
Tolomei was one of those to whom fellow Sienese, Bernardino Ochino, corresponded from exile in Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, where he had fled after abandoning his monastic position due to accusations of heresy.Bernardino Ochino, of Siena: A Contribution Towards the History of the Reformation
by Karl Benrath, page 120-131.
Works
Tolomei was a writer of considerable merit. A famous jurist and philologist, he wrote ''Lettere'' and ''Orazioni'', which constituted a lively testimony of his participation in the literary disputes and political events of the time. Tolomei was the defender of the
Tuscan vulgate against the pure Florentineity of the language in the works of literary interest, anticipating many concepts of 19th-century scientific
linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
.
List of works
* ''Laude delle donne bolognese'', Bologna: per Iustiniano de Rubera, 1514.
* ''Il Polito di Adriano Franci da Siena delle lettere nuouamente aggiornate nella volgar lingua, con somma diligenza corretto et ristampato'', Venice: Nicolò d'Aristotile detto Zoppino, 1531.
* ''Oratione de la pace di M. Claudio Tolomei'', Rome: da Antonio Blado Asolano, 1534.
* ''Versi, et regole de la nuoua poesia toscana'', Rome: per Antonio Blado d'Asola, 1539.
* ''De le lettere di M. Claudio Tolomei lib. sette. Con una breue dichiarazione in fine di tutto l'ordin de l'ortografia di questa opera'', Venice: appresso Gabriel Giolito de Ferrari, 1547
Google books; Cornetti, 1585
Google books.
* ''Due orazioni in lingua toscana. Accusa contra Leon Secretario, di secreti riuelati. Difesa'', Parma: appresso Sette Viotto, 1547.
*
* ''Oratione di Monsi. Claudio Tolomei Ambasciator di Siena recitata dinanci ad Henrico II Christianissimo Re di Francia'', Venice: per Francesco Marcolini, 1552.
* ''Il Cesano, dialogo di m. Claudio Tolomei, nel quale da più dotti huomini si disputa del nome, col quale si dee ragioneuolmente chiamare la volgar lingua'', Venice: appresso
Gabriel Giolito de Ferrari, et fratelli, 1555
Google books.
* ''Libro quinto delle Rime di diuersi illustri signori napoletani, e d'altri nobilissimi ingegni. Nuouamente raccolte, e con noua additione ristampate'', Venice: appresso Gabriel Giolito de Ferrari, et fratelli, 1555 (in Vinegia: appresso Gabriel Giolito de Ferrari, et fratelli, 1555).
* ''Orazioni di M. Claudio Tolomei'', Fermo: per Giuseppe Alessandro Paccasassi, 1783
Google books.
* ''Alcune lettere politiche di Claudio Tolomei vescovo di Tolone scritte alla repubblica di Siena, ora primamente edite da Luciano Banchi'', Siena: Tip. Sordo-muti di L. Lazzeri, 1868.
* ''Epistola di Agnolo Firenzuola in lode delle donne scritta a Messere Claudio Tolomei, nobile sanese'', Perugia: Tipografia Santucci, 1844.
* ''Della edificazione d'una città sul monte Argentario'', Florence: Tipografia dell'Arte della Stampa, 1885.
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Notes
Bibliography
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1492 births
1556 deaths
Italian philologists
16th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops
University of Bologna alumni
Academic staff of the University of Siena
{{Italy-academic-bio-stub