Giorgio Biandrata or Blandrata (15155 May 1588) was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
-born
Transylvanian physician
A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
and polemicist, who came from the De Biandrate family, powerful from the early part of the 13th century.
He was an
antitrinitarian.
Biandrata was born in
Saluzzo
Saluzzo (; ) is a town and former principality in the province of Cuneo, in the Piedmont region, Italy.
The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate etc. are found in the su ...
, the youngest son of Bernardino Biandrata. He graduated in arts and medicine at
Montpellier
Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
in 1533, and specialized in the functional and nervous disorders of women. In 1544 he made his first trip to
Transylvania
Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
; in 1553 he was with
Giovanni Paolo Alciati in the
Grisons
The Grisons (; ) or Graubünden (),Names include:
* ;
*Romansh language, Romansh:
**
**
**
**
**
**;
* ;
* ;
* .
See also list of European regions with alternative names#G, other names. more formally the Canton of the Grisons or the Canton ...
; in 1557 he spent a year at
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 ...
, in constant contact with
Calvin, who distrusted him.
He attended Jane Stafford, English wife of Count Celso Massimiliano Martinengo, preacher of the Italian church at Geneva, and fostered
anti-trinitarian opinions in that church. In 1558 he found it expedient to move to Poland, where he became a leader of the
heretical party at the synods of
Pińczów
Pińczów is a town in southern Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, about 40 km south of Kielce. It is the capital of Pińczów County. The population is 10,946 (2018). Pińczów belongs to the historical region of Lesser Poland (Polish: ...
(1558) and
Książ Wielkopolski (1560 and 1562). His point was the suppression of extremes of opinion, on the basis of a confession literally drawn from Scripture.
He obtained the position of
court physician to the queen dowager, the Milanese
Bona Sforza
Bona Sforza (2 February 1494 – 19 November 1557) was Queen consort, Queen of Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569), Poland and List of Lithuanian consorts, Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of Sigismund the Old, and Duchess of Bari and ...
. She had been instrumental in the burning (1539) of
Catharine Weygel, at the age of 80, for anti-trinitarian opinions; but the writings of
Ochino had altered her views, which were now anti-
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
.
In 1563 Biandrata transferred his services to the Transylvanian court of
John Sigismund Zápolya, where the daughters of his patroness were married to ruling princes. He revisited Poland (1576) in the train of
Stephen Báthory
Stephen Báthory (; ; ; 27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1586) as well as Prince of Transylvania, earlier Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576).
The son of Stephen VIII Báthory ...
, whose tolerance permitted the propagation of heresies; and when (1579)
Christopher Báthory introduced the Jesuits into Transylvania, Biandrata found means of conciliating them.
Throughout his career he was accompanied by his two brothers, Ludovico and Alphonso, the former being canon of Saluzzo. In Transylvania, Biandrata co-operated with
Francis David (d. 1579), the leader of the Calvinist church, who then became the first anti-trinitarian bishop.
Together, they published some polemical writings against Trinitarian belief, particularly ''De falsa et vera unius Dei Patris, Filii et Spiritus Sancti cognitione'', which is largely a summarized version of
Servetus's ''Christianismi Restitutio''. But in 1578 two circumstances broke the connection. Biandrata was charged with immorality and David renounced the necessity of invoking Christ in prayer.
To influence David, Biandrata sent for
Faustus Socinus from
Basel
Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
. Socinus was David's guest, but the discussion between them led to no result. At the instance of Biandrata, David was tried and condemned to prison at the
Fortress of Deva on the charge of "innovation", where he died.
Having amassed a fortune, Biandrata returned to the communion of
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, ...
. His end is obscure. According to the Jesuit,
Jakub Wujek, he was strangled by a nephew (Giorgio, son of Alphonso) at
Gyulafehérvár, in May 1588.
Gary W. Jenkins calls Biandrata the "tritheist apostle to the Poles," and suggests that
Valentine Gentili was his
Silas
Silas or Silvanus (; Greek: Σίλας/Σιλουανός; fl. 1st century AD) was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who according to the New Testament accompanied Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey.
Name and ...
.
References
*Malacarne, ''Commentario delle Opere e delle Vicende di G. Biandrata'' (Padova, 1814);
*
Robert Wallace, ''Anti-trinitarian Biography'', vol. ii (1850).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biandrata
1510s births
1588 deaths
Antitrinitarians
16th-century Italian physicians
People from Saluzzo
Eastern Hungarian Kingdom
University of Montpellier alumni
Court physicians