Filippo Buonaccorsi, called Callimachus, Callimaco, Bonacurarius, Caeculus, Geminianensis (Latin: ''Philippus Callimachus Experiens'', ''Bonacursius''; , 2 May 1437 – 1 November 1496) was an Italian

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

, writer and diplomat active in Poland.

Life

Filippo Buonaccorsi was born in

San Gimignano San Gimignano (; named after St. Geminianus) is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Five Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the pr ...

, in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, in central Italy. He first appeared in Venice and Rome, where he was secretary to Bishop Bartolomeo Roverella. He moved to Rome in 1462 and became a member of the Rome Academy of Julius Pomponius Laetus. In 1468 he took part in a supposed assassination attempt upon

Pope Paul II Pope Paul 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 1471. When his maternal uncle became Pope Eugene IV, Barbo switched fr ...

and fled to Poland. In Poland he found work with the Bishop of Lwów, Gregory of Sanok.

Pomponius The gens Pomponia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Its members appear throughout the history of the Roman Republic, and into imperial times. The first of the gens to achieve prominence was Marcus Pomponius, tribune of the plebs in 449 BC ...

implied he was

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

and referred to his "perverted habits". The homo-erotic verses (including one addressed to the then Bishop of

Segni Segni (, ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' located in Lazio. The city is situated on a hilltop in the Lepini Mountains and overlooks the valley of the Sacco River. History Early history According to ancient Roman sources, Lucius Tarquinius ...

, Lucio Fazini) which were found in his papers, while earning him a reputation as a sodomite, seem to have been restricted to his youth. This seems to have reflected the aims of the Rome Academy to revive the concept of homosexual love as the ideal, drawing on the precedents set by antiquity. But Buonaccorsi seems to have been particularly active within the group in writing about sexual infatuation between men. However, once in Poland, he seemed to have turned his attention to heterosexual love instead; perhaps a cautious reaction to the violent events in Rome. Buonaccorsi later became tutor to the sons of Polish King

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (Casimir Andrew Jagiellon; ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447 until his death in 1492. He was one of the most active Polish-Lithuanian rulers; under ...

and took part in diplomatic missions. In 1474 he was named royal secretary, in 1476 he served as ambassador to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, and in 1486 he became the King's representative in Venice. With the accession to the Polish throne of Buonaccorsi's former pupil as John I of Poland, his influence peaked. He is credited with the first Western use of the word “

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

” (referring to the Bulgarian mountain range), in a 1490 letter to

Pope Innocent VIII Pope Innocent VIII (; ; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death, in July 1492. Son of the viceroy of Naples, Cybo spent his ea ...

, writing as Buonaccorsi Callimaco. In his writings, Buonaccorsi argued for the strengthening of the king's power at the expense of the aristocracy. In Kraków he joined Conrad Celtis' Sodalitas Vistuliana. Callimachus wrote poems and prose in Latin, and is best remembered for his biographies of Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki, Bishop Gregory of Sanok, and King

Władysław III of Poland Władysław III of Poland (31 October 1424 – 10 November 1444), also known as Ladislaus of Varna, was King of Poland and Union of Horodło, Supreme Duke of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1434 as well as King of Hungary and List of duk ...

. His tomb in Kraków's Basilica of the Holy Trinity was created by Veit Stoss.

In popular culture

Callimaco Buonaccorsi is a recurring figure in

Dorothy Dunnett Dorothy, Lady Dunnett (née Halliday, 25 August 1923 – 9 November 2001) was a Scottish novelist best known for her historical fiction. Dunnett is most famous for her six novel series set during the 16th century, which concern the fictiti ...

's ''House of Niccolo'' series of historical novels, particularly in volume seven, ''Caprice and Rondo''.

References

External links

Filippo Buonaccorsi, ''Repertorium Pomponianum''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buonaccorsi, Filip 1437 births 1496 deaths People from San Gimignano Italian Renaissance humanists Italian people of Polish descent Polish LGBTQ poets Polish Renaissance humanists Polish male writers Medieval Latin-language poets 15th-century LGBTQ people Gay poets 15th-century writers in Latin Italy–Poland relations Italian LGBTQ poets Italian emigrants to Poland Italian male poets 15th-century Polish writers 15th-century Italian writers Medieval Italian LGBTQ people

Life

In popular culture

See also

References

External links