Tommaso Campanella

Tommaso Campanella
Portrait of Campanella by Francesco Cozza
Born
Giovanni Domenico Campanella

5 September 1568 (1568-09-05)
Died21 May 1639(1639-05-21) (aged 70)
Occupations
Years active1597–1634
Tommaso Campanella's house at Stilo
Former Dominican convent at Placanica

Tommaso Campanella OP (Italian: [tomˈmaːzo kampaˈnɛlla]; 5 September 1568 – 21 May 1639),[1] baptized Giovanni Domenico Campanella, was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, theologian, astrologer, and poet.

Campanella was prosecuted by the Roman Inquisition for heresy in 1594 and was confined to house arrest for two years. Accused of conspiring against the Spanish rulers of Calabria in 1599, he was tortured and sent to prison, where he spent 27 years. He wrote his most significant works during this time, including The City of the Sun, a utopia describing an egalitarian theocratic society where property is held in common.

  1. ^ Firpo, Luigi (1974). "CAMPANELLA, Tommaso". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 17.