Pietro Bizzarri

Pietro Bizzarri (1525 1586) was an Italian historian and spy.[1]

Life

Bizzarri was born at Sassoferrato in Umbria; or, according to some writers, at Perugia, and so is sometimes called Petrus Perusius. When young he went to Venice, but having become a Protestant he left for Germany, in 1545. After the Battle of Mühlberg (1547) he moved on to England, where he spent periods his life.[1][2]

On 4 July 1549 Bizzarri was admitted a Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge, by the royal commissioners for the visitation of the university, being incorporated there ad eundem; and Francis Russell became his patron. The accession of Queen Mary saw him leave England; he returned on the accession of Elizabeth I.[1][2]

Bishop John Jewel, prompted by Archbishop Matthew Parker, gave Bizzari the prebend of Alton Pancras in Salisbury Cathedral. This followed the presentation to the queen of his De principe tractatus.[1][2] Meanwhile Russell had become governor of Berwick. Bizzarri went north with him. He presented Mary, Queen of Scots with a different treatise, and shortly went abroad.[1]

Not receiving further church preferment, Bizzarri began to travel. He obtained, in 1570, a license from William Cecil to go abroad, to print his own works, and gather news of foreign affairs for the government. He passed some time at Genoa; in Germany he obtained, through the influence of Hubert Languet, employment with the Elector of Saxony. On 20 October 1573 he addressed from Augsburg a letter in Italian to Cecil, now Lord Burghley. He went on to Antwerp, where he met the scholarly circle around Christopher Plantin. In 1581 he asked Justus Lipsius in Leyden to find a publisher of his "Universal History" in eight volumes. He was back in Antwerp in December 1583; on 23 November 1586 he addressed a Latin letter from The Hague to Burghley.[2]

Bizzari is thought to have died soon after November 1586.[1]

Works

Bizzarri's works are:[2]

Bizzarri also brought out a new edition of La Santa Comedia of Mario Cardoini, Venice, 1566.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bartlett, Kenneth R. "Bizzarri , Pietro (b. 1525, d. in or after 1586)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6  Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1886). "Bizari, Pietro". Dictionary of National Biography. 5. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1886). "Bizari, Pietro". Dictionary of National Biography. 5. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 

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