Re: VMs: Prague and Italy (long)

["J HALEY" <j.haley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Daniel

All of the facts you have found I already know. What I am
looking for in particular is the marriage of a Barozzi to a
Sternberg.

Note This:
http://www.castlecastolovice.cz/gbhistory.html
Old records tell of the Sternberg emblem, an eight pointed star on a blue
field, as early as 1130. A hundred years later, when Zdeslav built on a
stone promontory above the river Sazava a fortified castle he called it
'Sternberk' and he and his descendants began using the name : 'of Sternberg'
(star = Stern, mountain = berg).

The Sternbergs played a role in both the cultural and political history of
Bohemia. Legend has it that Jaroslav of Sternberg led the defense of the
town of Olomouc against the Tartar Khan Batu, Chingiz-Khan's son in 1241 and
thus stopped the invasion of all of Europe by the Tartar horde. Twelve years
later, in 1253, Zdeslav of Sternberg led the victorious battle against the
Hungarian Kumans and the King awarded him with large territories in Moravia
. There, near Olomouc, Zdeslav built his second castle, known as Moravian
Sternberk.

In the fourteenth century the Sternbergs became related by marriage to the
Luxembourgs. Albert of Sternberg was adviser as well as friend to Emperor
Charles the IV, who was a Luxembourg. Albert Sternberg, a cleric,
established several monasteries in Bohemia and eventually became Archbishop
of Magdeburg, the Primate of all of Germany.

In the fifteenth century Zdenek of Sternberg led the Catholics in the
religious wars against the Hussite King Jiri of Podebrad, even though his
sister, Kunhuta Sternberg, was the first wife of Jiri of Podebrad.

Adam of Sternberg became the Highest Burgrave under Rudolf the II., led many
negotiations for the Hapsburg Emperor and signed Rudolf's famous Imperial
Charter.

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Here we have intermarriage between people of status but other
less prominent branches of the family may well have married
into wealthy Italian families. During Rudolph's time there were
quite a few Italians in Prague and probably elsewhere in the
region. A Sternberg with Italian roots may well have reverted to
his mothers maiden name as a pseudonym if he was carrying
out any work that may draw attention, such as alchemy. However
to muddy the waters, as individuals did, he may have modified it
further. So Barocius may have become Barcius. It is interesting
to ask why he went to the Sapienza in Rome. It was quite a journey
to get there and would have been costly in terms of transportation.
Who promoted him to the academy and why? Did he have contacts
in Italy through family ties?

If this has not been thoroughly pursued yet then I believe it is overdue.

Jeff

Daniel wrote on 25 July 2005


> On 25 Jul 2005, at 01:28, J HALEY wrote:
>
> > The architect Barozzi never left Italy AFAICT. What
> > I really need to find out is a connection between the Barozzi's
> > and the Sternberg's in Bohemia.
>
> What about Francesco Barozzi?
> He was a mathematician and a translator, and also the son of Jacopo/
> Giacomo Barozzi (I think this is the architect but I'm not sure).
> Francesco was born in Crete in 1537, and died in Venice in 1604, as
> you can see here:
> http://www-groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/
> Barocius.html
>
> And then see this:  http://galileo.rice.edu/Catalog/NewFiles/
> barocius.html
> Where you can find interesting things such as:
>
> > Barozzi was tried by the Inquisition (charge unknown) and found
> > guilty about 1583.
> > In 1587 there was another charge, this time of apostacy and heresy,
> > from the sentence apparently charges of engaging in occult magical
> > practices.
>
> > Primary: Mathematics, Astronomy
> > Subordinate: Occult Philosophy
> > Translated Proclus', Hero's, and Achimedean writings on geometry.
> > He also published Cosmographia, 1585.
>
> > Barozzi apparently inherited a very extensive estate in Crete, and
> > one cannot avoid the conclusion that he was reared in wealthy
> > circumstances.
>
> And from who did he inherit this?
> Of course, from yet another Jacopo/Giacomo Barozzi, who owned the
> whole Thera in 1200:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchy_of_the_Archipelago
> So in 1500 Francesco owned the villages of Agios Konstantinos and
> Roustikas on Crete:
> http://www.ellada.net/crete-info/rethymnonikiforos.html
>
> He also corresponded with:
> Ulisse Aldrovandi, a naturalist
> Paolo Sarpi, a scientist and historian
> Christopher Clavius, the famous mathematician and astronomer
>
> And then you have to see this other link:
> http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/wmss/online/medieval/barocci/
> barocci.html
>
> Apparently Francesco Barozzi's nephew was called... Giacomo!!!
> Barozzi (1562-1617)
> And they both collected manuscripts, of course, which were brought to
> England in 1628 by Henry Featherstone and are now in Oxford:
> http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/scwmss/wmss/online/medieval/barocci/
> images/aap0024.gif
>
> By the way this collection also includes a strange manuscript in
> Javanese, which was donated by Andrew James (don't know who he is)
> and added by William Herbert, Chancellor of the University at the
> time (but why is it in this collection if it isn't linked to Barozzi?).
>
> Please note this:
> - the VMS was in the hands of Rudolf and then Jacobus Horcicky before
> 1619, so it probably couldn't have been in this collection.
> - Baresch should have owned the MS sometimes between 1619-1662, so he
> couldn't have been Francesco/Giacomo Barozzi.
> - I still don't know why the collection of manuscripts was sold and
> brought to Oxford.
> - the Barozzi were a very rich family at the time.
> - there is no other "famous" Barozzi I'm aware of.
>
> Conclusion: It would be an interesting hypotheses, but I don't think
> M. Georgius Barschius is an unknown "Giorgio" Barozzi. Why should
> have he gone to Bohemia if he had properties in Venice and Crete? And
> since Barschius is a "latinization", I'd like to point out that
> Barozzi could be more easily latinized as "Barocius" instead, while
> "Barschius" suggests the presence of a "sch" like in Baresch. He
> should have gone to Bohemia, changed his name to something like
> "Baresch", thus losing the name of his rich and important family,
> then gone to Rome (probably under his new name), then returned to
> Bohemia again, and after all these travels, and with such well-known
> ancestors, be mentioned exclusively on his and Marci's letters to
> Kircher. Yes, it could still be a Barozzi, but it would be a bit too
> complicated.
>
> To Jean-Yves, Jeff and others: please keep researching this, I still
> hope this whole thing about Barschius can be cleared once and for all.
>
> Daniel (oh that Javanese MS, if only I could see it!)
>
> P.S. This was my first message :-)


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