Giordano Bruno – the Scientist Who was Burned at the Stake in Rome

Giordano Bruno, currently remains one of the most controversial figures of the Renaissance era. To this day, heated debates continue regarding the exact reasons for the philosopher’s execution by burning at the stake. Scientists put forward various hypotheses that significantly diverge from the official version, yet they have not reached a consensus.

Biography and Life Account

Giordano Bruno was born in the city of Nola in 1548, located near Naples. When the future great philosopher was born, he was named Filippo. During those times, many people’s names were combined with their place of birth, so Giordano came to be known as “Bruno of Nola” after some time.

Bruno’s family consisted of his father, who was a hired soldier at the time, and his mother, who was a peasant.

Childhood and Youth

At the age of 11, Giordano’s family sent him to Naples to study subjects such as literature, logic, and dialectics. The young boy successfully completed his first school and then proceeded to further education in the Monastery of San Domenico, which happened when he was barely fifteen. Due to his excessively sociable, daring, and unrestrained character, Giordano often engaged in verbal disputes with his superiors, which provoked numerous conflicts on various topics.

In 1565, Filippo took his monastic vows and received the name Giordano. He spent nearly ten years in Naples, eventually becoming a full-fledged Catholic monk. In 1568, he even completed his first work titled “The Ark of Noah” (arca di Noè), dedicating it to Pope Pius V.

At the age of 24, Giordano Bruno performed his first church service. In his free time, he immersed himself in the local library, located within the monastery, studying the works of philosophers such as Aristotle and Ptolemy.

Many of his brethren became suspicious when they noticed Giordano removing icons from his cell, leaving only the crucifix. This eventually led the young man to decide to leave the monastery, as the monks began openly expressing their suspicions to him.

After a few years, he obtained the title of a scholar, granting the future philosopher the right to deliver lectures.

The Period of Wanderings

In order to avoid attracting persecution and the resulting troubles, Giordano traveled first to Rome (Roma), and after some time, he decided to move even further north in Italy. However, the philosopher did not stay there for long. Bruno left the country in the late 1570s and went to Switzerland.

Next, the philosopher made London his place of residence, but after a few years, he decided to relocate to Oxford. However, Giordano encountered a small conflict with the local teachers, which forced him to return to the capital of Great Britain.

During this period, in 1584, he published one of his major and famous works titled “On the Infinite Universe and Worlds” (“sull’infinito dell’universo e dei mondi”).

In the following years, despite enjoying the support of the English authorities, he was once again compelled to leave his settled place. The philosopher moved to France, where he was also esteemed, particularly benefiting from the patronage of the French ambassador Michel de Castelnau, Sieur de la Mauvissière.

However, Bruno did not stay in France for long. Almost immediately after his arrival in the country, he moved to Germany. From there, he went to Marburg, but even there he was prohibited from giving lectures. During that time, Giordano Bruno realized that the clouds above him were gradually thickening, as almost every third person suspected him of heresy.

From 1586 to 1588, he resided in Wittenberg, which was known as the cradle of Protestantism at the time. In this city, Giordano obtained the right to deliver his lectures, but after a short period of time, he had to leave once again. When he was about to depart from Wittenberg, he delivered his eulogy dedicated to Luther.

Giordano shared similar views with Luther and was constantly amazed by the oratorical abilities of this young man, believing that he had acquired them from another equally renowned figure of the time, Girolamo Savonarola.

In the following years, Giordano changed one city after another. He lived in Prague, Helmstedt, Zurich, and Frankfurt on the Main. Only at the end of the century did he manage to return to his homeland.

Scientific Activity and Teaching

Throughout his wanderings, Giordano Bruno tirelessly sought a teaching position, but he never stayed in one place for long. There were several reasons for this arrangement: firstly, the philosopher’s views, which differed somewhat from the accepted norms, attracted the attention of the authorities, and secondly, he gave other priests and teachers reasons to report him.

However, Giordano was not one to keep his tongue in check; he never hesitated to express his views.

As it is known, such an approach to the world around him did not end well for Giordano. He was renowned for his talent in provoking enemies with a couple of phrases. For example, he liked to present himself to the professors of the University of Oxford in the following manner: “I, Philotheos (which meant ‘Friend of God’), professor of pure and harmless wisdom, am hated only by fools, but respected and revered by scholars who recognize integrity.”

The chronology of Giordano Bruno’s teaching career is as follows:

• 1579: Giordano moved to Geneva, where he had the opportunity to teach and give lectures. However, soon other professors began to suspect him of heresy, so the philosopher moved to France. During his stay in Geneva, he managed to gather many enemies among the Calvinists.
• 1581: Giordano became a lecturer at the University of the Sorbonne. Thanks to his persistence and charm, he gained the favor of the ruling monarch, Henry III of France. The king, like his mother Catherine de’ Medici, was interested in magic, so the eccentric and restless nature of the Italian teacher appealed to him. For this reason, Henry facilitated Giordano’s settlement in France. However, the philosopher did not stay in France for long, as his overly outspoken activities once again raised suspicions.
• 1583: Giordano moved to England, initially teaching in London and later in Oxford. He published several of his works, such as “The Ash Wednesday Supper” (Festa sulle ceneri) and “The Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast” (Esilio della bestia trionfante). Numerous conflicts and disputes with other professors compelled him to leave Oxford and return to the capital. There, Giordano attempted to convince the courtiers that Copernicus’ views were not far from the truth, but his efforts ultimately proved futile. Only James I’s court physician openly supported his position, though even he did not express his approval publicly. Therefore, Giordano had to wander the world once again.
• 1585: In the year 1585, the philosopher relocated to France, where he made attempts to resume his teaching activities. However, Giordano anticipated another failure. Sensing that suspicions were growing against him, he decided that for his own safety, it was best to leave the country.
• 1586: Giordano moved to the territory of Germany, exhausted from endless wanderings. The philosopher hoped that luck would favor him here, and he would be able to find employment. However, he faced rejection from almost every university. Only the small town of Marburg showed him favor, offering him a position as a teacher.
• 1586-1588: Wittenberg became Giordano’s refuge. This period can be considered relatively calm, as during this time, the philosopher did not arouse significant suspicions about himself. However, Giordano’s character and temperament would not allow him to remain silent about his own views on the world, which strongly diverged from the church’s beliefs. Therefore, the philosopher hastily moved to Prague.
• 1591: After further wanderings around the world, Giordano stopped in Frankfurt, where he published several of his significant works. He received his first substantial fee for them, but he had no possibility to stay in this city after such a breakthrough. Therefore, the wandering monk decided to return to his homeland.

Throughout his wanderings, Giordano displayed traits that were alien to many of his contemporaries. For instance, he rejected traditions that his rationality couldn’t reconcile with. The philosopher was remarkably straightforward and never hesitated to express his opinions about other professors. In Oxford, Giordano occasionally referred to his colleagues as fools and simpletons.

Bruno referred to himself as a citizen of the world, a child of the Earth and the Sun, and an academic without an academy.

Giordano Discoveries

Giordano Bruno did not make any conventional discoveries. This philosopher became famous for advocating Copernican theory and developing his own conception of our planet and the Universe as a whole based on it.

He also gained notoriety in his time for mocking Catholic Church figures and making fun of the Pope. During Giordano’s lifetime, the Pope was considered (as now) God’s representative on Earth, which inherently implied that everything he did was right.

Giordano’s Worldviews

Giordano Bruno was a man who, in his time, merged religion and science, albeit within himself rather than in the external world. In almost every one of his writings, this philosopher fearlessly labeled stupidity as stupidity, as he saw the absurdity present in the Church’s perspectives. The dogmas enshrined in ancient texts were something he adamantly refused to accept, for he recognized the value in other realms. For him, the foundations of all foundations were freedom, love, and each individual’s pursuit of personal happiness.

Giordano saw the abnormality in the severe punishment for leaving the Catholic Church during his time, while entry into it was done through baptism, without even asking infants whether they wanted it or not.

If a person concealed anything from the holy father during confession or various gatherings in the church, it was considered a serious reason to subject them to punishment. Even missing one or a few church services could provoke the wrath of the Holy Inquisition.

It was unbearable for Giordano to witness what the Holy Inquisition inflicted upon people. And it wasn’t necessarily ending one’s life at the stake. The philosopher saw a worse fate in a broken life, which Giordano Bruno understood as renouncing one’s own beliefs and being persecuted by those around him for not conforming to the Catholic Church. It was for this reason, having observed the events from within, that he decided to escape from his native country to one outside the control of the Pope and the Vatican (Stato della Città del Vaticano), namely Switzerland.

The great philosopher was convinced that the vast space is filled with countless stars around which similar planets, like Earth, revolve. These celestial bodies may differ in brightness and size among themselves. Giordano presumed that there are stars far away that are much larger than our Sun. However, these planets do not emit such radiance that they can be seen with the naked eye from Earth.

One distinctive feature of Giordano Bruno’s beliefs compared to those of Copernicus is his rejection of celestial spheres. Bruno, a philosopher, refused to believe in the existence of transparent or invisible surfaces on which all planets and stars are supposed to reside. He couldn’t provide a specific reason for why these celestial bodies would be weightless, but he firmly believed that no invisible platform existed beneath them. Such spheres were part of the worldviews of Aristotle, Ptolemy, and Copernicus, and were even recognized in the Bible. According to Giordano Bruno, this kind of worldview greatly hindered the progress of science in the past.

Furthermore, the philosopher was convinced that other worlds with intelligent life existed beyond our planet. Alongside this belief, Bruno conducted numerous investigations that had a magical foundation. He focused on nine magical forms in particular.

When he pondered the nature of the soul, Giordano Bruno decided to dedicate another study to this question. It is not entirely clear how he intended to answer this question through experiments, but through his own actions, he concluded that the soul represents a metaphysical body endowed with the ability to pass from one “vessel” to another. Researchers suggest that by this, Giordano Bruno alludes to the idea that a person is capable of reincarnation after death.

Other Achievements of Giordano

It is practically unknown to most people today that besides being a scientist, Giordano Bruno was also a talented poet. The philosopher wrote poetry on various themes, but he dedicated a significant portion of his work to satire. This is quite natural because considering how much his views on the world differed from commonly accepted notions, he could not help but consider those around him fools.

It was Giordano who created a dramatic style that was based on freely expressing thoughts. In his poems, he vividly and realistically depicted the customs and manners of his era. The philosopher mocked hypocrisy, pedantry, superstition, and childlike naivety on the pages of his works. He saw all these qualities in his contemporaries. By reading between the lines, one can notice that despite teasing these traits of people, the philosopher genuinely lamented that the Catholic Church did not allow “servants of God” to become better.

Personal Life

There is no information available about what transpired in the philosopher’s personal life. The only known details are that Giordano had no wife or children, as well as no disciples or followers. Some researchers even speculate that the great philosopher had homosexual inclinations. It is worth noting that homosexuality was not uncommon in the Middle Ages and was widespread among monks and priests.

In portraits, Giordano appears fragile and constantly contemplative, like a young man lost in thought.

Therefore, many biographers have repeatedly mentioned that the philosopher’s fascination with magic and science was so great that it replaced earthly pleasures with women.

Trial and Death of Giordano

In 1591, Giordano Bruno invited a young aristocrat named Giovanni Mocenigo to visit him in Venice under the pretext of teaching him mnemonic techniques. During their acquaintance, Giovanni inquired about Giordano’s worldview and scientific pursuits. A warm friendship seemed to develop between them. However, on May 23, 1592, the aristocrat sent his first denunciation of the philosopher to the inquisitor.

Afterward, the Holy Inquisition demanded that Venice surrender Giordano to face trial. On February 27, 1593, the philosopher was taken to Rome and imprisoned in the Castel Sant’Angelo. Despite the tortures inflicted upon him, he did not admit to heresy or renounce his own beliefs. Giordano remained firmly convinced that all his convictions were correct, while the Catholic Church, in contrast, compelled people to believe falsehoods.

The following year, on February 9, the Holy Inquisition tribunal found Giordano Bruno guilty on eight counts. Consequently, he was excommunicated from the Church and stripped of his priesthood. Once all the necessary preparations were completed, Giordano was sentenced to punishment “without the shedding of blood.” During those times, this meant being burned at the stake. The execution of the great philosopher took place on February 17 in Rome’s Campo dei Fiori square.

Giordano Bruno’s last words were, “To burn is not to refute!”

What was Giordano Bruno actually Burned for

It is commonly believed that Giordano Bruno perished due to his worldview and scientific views, leading many to consider him a kind of martyr. In reality, the philosopher’s scientific ideas had little to do with the fact that he was sentenced to execution by burning.

The Holy Inquisition condemned him to such a fate solely because he denied the dogmas of the Catholic Church. However, Giordano was never an atheist; on the contrary, he always considered himself a deeply religious person. He never advocated for Copernicanism, as it was not the primary focus of his life. What set Giordano Bruno apart was his unique perception of the world, which differed from those of his contemporaries and the Catholic Church. He used Copernican ideas as tools to describe his philosophical and scientific concepts organically and accurately.

Throughout his life, Giordano Bruno believed that he was born for a special, grand mission. For this reason, when interrogated by the inquisitors, he never renounced his own beliefs.

According to biographers, if the philosopher had displayed his unrestrained character and ambitions less frequently and had behaved more modestly, he might have avoided such a fate. However, Giordano never felt ashamed of his ideas and considered those who didn’t understand him to be fools and idiots, never missing an opportunity to express it directly to their faces.

Researchers believe that if the philosopher had shown a little more restraint and tact, his fate would have likely turned out somewhat differently.

Interesting Facts about Giordano

Giordano Bruno was a controversial and intriguing figure in his time, and as a result, he experienced numerous fascinating events throughout his life:

1. Giordano belonged to the Dominican monks, whose order served as the patron of the Holy Inquisition. However, due to his contradictory and somewhat blasphemous ideas for the era he lived in, the philosopher was eventually expelled from the order.
2. Giordano was well acquainted with the philosophers of ancient times, although he didn’t always share their views. Despite being a monk who was getting familiar with Aristotle’s works, many people already believed that he was gradually becoming a heretic. After all, reading dubious literature and embracing its ideas carried the same meaning in people’s minds. Interestingly, Giordano constantly criticized Aristotle.
3. When Giordano was arrested in Venice, he spent a total of seven years in prison, yet the supervisors were unable to make him renounce his own beliefs, which ultimately led to the philosopher’s tragic end.
4. In total, the philosopher’s wanderings lasted for 16 years. During this time, he visited over ten cities in different countries around the world.
5. While under the patronage of Henry III, Giordano didn’t hesitate to express his views. However, the relationship between the fugitive monk and the monarch eventually cooled, forcing the philosopher to continue his wanderings. Nevertheless, Henry provided Giordano with letters of recommendation.
6. Giordano Bruno based his concept on Copernicus’ theory, expanding and combining it with philosophy. He claimed that the stars in the sky were distant suns, similar to what we see from Earth.
7. A monument was later erected in honor of the great philosopher on the Campo dei Fiori, the Square of Flowers, in Rome, where he was executed.
   
8. Not many people know that Giordano was also a talented poet who left behind a significant number of literary works covering various themes
9. The inquisitors accused Giordano of not only heresy but also believed that his actions were intended to create a new religion.
10. During his time in England, Giordano met the renowned playwright William Shakespeare. In their conversations, Giordano Bruno tried to convince him of the truth and validity of Copernicus’ views, but he ultimately failed to do so.
11. The philosopher had an astonishing memory. Throughout his life, he even developed mnemonic techniques, a science of memory, but it turned out that all the methods he devised only worked for individuals with the same exceptional memory as his.
12. All of Giordano Bruno’s scientific works were included in the Catholic Index of Forbidden Books from 1603 to 1948.

List of Giordano Works

Throughout his eventful life, Giordano Bruno wrote several works in the fields of natural science and literature. Among his most significant scientific compositions are:

• “On Natural Magic” (A proposito di magia naturale) (1588)
• “On the Infinity of the Universe and Worlds” (1584)
• “The Art of Memory” (L’arte della memoria) (1582)
• “On Monad, Number, and Figure” (A proposito di monade, numero e figura) (1591)
• “The Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast” (Esilio della bestia trionfante) (1584)
• “On the Infinite, Incalculable, and Incommensurable” (Circa immenso, incalcolabile e incommensurabile) (1591)

Among the notable literary works by the philosopher, the following are worth mentioning:

• Satirical poem “Noah’s Ark”
• Comedy “The Candlestick” (Candeliere)

In addition to these works, Giordano Bruno also wrote numerous sonnets.

Giordano Bruno Quotes

Among the most famous quotes by Giordano Bruno, the following stand out:

• “Jealousy sometimes leads not only to the death or inner destruction of the person who loves but often becomes the cause of the murder of the very feeling itself. This is especially evident when the loving person begins to rage. Rage is the offspring of any love, and it is through rage that love kills itself.”
• “Pure enthusiasm represents love for the world and dreams of a beautiful future, and with this feeling, each of us is capable of overturning and transforming many things within ourselves and in our surroundings. Each of us has the opportunity to improve ourselves and make the world better.”
• “Many speak of how my convictions seek to overturn the world. But is it really so bad to overturn a world that is already turned upside down?”
• “Love has no closer friend than jealousy, but at the same time, it has no closer enemy, for no other substance is more destructive to iron than rust that once appeared from unworthiness.”
• “They will judge me correctly only where there is no madness in science, no violence in the court, and tyranny is not the embodiment of justice.”

FAQ about Giordano Bruno