35 Facts About Andrea Navagero

Andrea Navagero, known as Andreas Naugerius in Latin, was a Venetian diplomat and writer.

Andrea Navagero dedicated himself to editing classical Latin manuscripts at the Aldine Press printing office, garnering a reputation as a scholar and a skilled writer.

Andrea Navagero was born in 1483 to the wealthy Andrea Navagero family.

The Andrea Navagero family were among the younger, or "new houses", of the Venetian nobility, as opposed to the more established "old houses".

Andrea Navagero's father was Bernardo Navagero, a captain in the Venetian navy, and his mother was Lucrezia Bolani.

Andrea Navagero was first educated by private tutors before attending the University of Padua; he attended the university in at least the years 1501 and 1502.

Andrea Navagero followed the humanist school of thought, which, during the Renaissance, was centered on the study of classical philosophy, literature, and history.

Andrea Navagero subscribed to Epicureanism, a hedonistic philosophy encouraging the pursuit of mental pleasures, such as peace of mind and freedom from pain and fear.

In 1504, Andrea Navagero gained entry to the chief political assembly of Venice, the Great Council, at the age of twenty, five years younger than the typical age at the time.

Andrea Navagero delivered a funeral oration for Catherine Cornaro, a Venetian and the final Queen of Cyprus, after her death in Venice in 1510, though the content of this oration has not survived.

At some point, Andrea Navagero took residence in a villa in Murano, where he maintained an impressive garden.

Andrea Navagero was highly proficient in Latin and Greek and deeply knowledgeable about classical literature.

Andrea Navagero was a prolific Latin poet, though he destroyed some of his own works as they did not meet his rigorous standards.

Andrea Navagero joined the ranks of the Venetian general Bartolomeo d'Alviano's army following the League of Cambrai's declaration of war against the Venetian Republic.

Andrea Navagero earned the admiration of d'Alviano for both his literary skill and bravery.

In 1515, following d'Alviano's death in the siege of Brescia, Andrea Navagero delivered a widely praised funeral oration for the general, referencing d'Alviano's special fondness towards himself in particular, which lasted hours.

Andrea Navagero requested that Navagero be appointed the manager of the library.

In becoming Venice's official historian, Andrea Navagero succeeded Sabellico, his former tutor.

In 1516, Andrea Navagero traveled to Rome alongside the humanist Agostino Beazzano.

Andrea Navagero was tasked with negotiating the ratification of a truce between Spain and Venice, as Venice sought to protect its own territory from Spain's expansion in northern Italy.

Andrea Navagero was instructed to avoid terms unfavorable to Venice's ally, France.

Columbus was accompanied by Baldassare Castiglione, with whom Andrea Navagero would spend much of his time in Spain.

Priuli returned to Venice, as had been previously planned, while Andrea Navagero settled in Toledo, supplying highly detailed descriptions of the city to Ramusio and translating Decades of the New World, written by his newfound friend Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, into Italian.

Andrea Navagero continued to lobby Charles V for the release of Francis I, who at that time was severely ill and imprisoned in Madrid.

Andrea Navagero soon set out to explore the nearby Alhambra, detailing its impressive marble architecture, gardens, and fountains to Ramusio.

Andrea Navagero, who had previously studied ancient architecture in depth, concluded that the fortress "lack[ed] nothing pleasing or beautiful".

Andrea Navagero described to Ramusio the surrounding ruins, homes, gardens, and inhabitants, as well as the valley of the Darro and its fruit, which he labelled "the most delicious in the world".

Andrea Navagero lamented that the Moors no longer administered the city, believing the Spanish would allow its beauty to deteriorate, and was upset by the forced religious conversion of the locals by the Spanish Inquisition.

Andrea Navagero criticized the Spanish for already having allowed parts of Granada to fall into ruin and for focusing too heavily on war and conquest.

Andrea Navagero instead wished to translate the manuscripts he had collected in Spain and cultivate his gardens.

When faced with conflicts between different readings, Andrea Navagero generally used the older reading in his editions.

Andrea Navagero's editions published by the Aldine Press remain highly regarded in the modern era.

Andrea Navagero admired Catullus so greatly that in order to assert Catullus's poetic supremacy, he is said to have burned copies of the work of Martial, a poet who called himself Catullus's "literary inheriter".

Andrea Navagero based some of the poems in the on contemporary events; for example, "Damon" chronicles the Battle of Ravenna of 1512.

The poet Juan Boscan credited Andrea Navagero with introducing him to Petrarchism, which at that time was popular in Italy but had yet to emerge in Spain.