Giovanni Pico della Mirandola

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-94), one of the most fascinating characters of the Renaissance, grew up in a very accomplished noble family, lords of the little town of Mirandola on the Po. A youthful prodigy, he rapidly learned Latin and Greek, and made some headway in Hebrew and Arabic too. Young Pico was obsessed with philosophy, and he wanted to learn it all.

At age 14 he set off for Bologna to study law. By 1484 he had been through many of the universities of Italy, and had made the acquaintance of some of the leading scholars and statesmen of his day: in particular, he made a deep impression on Marsilio Ficino, one of the leading figures of Renaissance philosophy, and on Lorenzo de' Medici, who would be his protector for the rest of his life.

By the age of 23, Pico was causing a Europe-wide commotion with his '900 Theses' on religion and philosophy, some of which the Pope found to be heretical. It was only the beginning of a short but very picaresque life for Pico, one that included a couple of spells in prison, great public debates, time in exile, a friendship with the notorious Savonarola, and at least one good beating from a cuckolded husband.