The Trial of Giordano Bruno

In 1600, Giordano Bruno, one of the leading intellectuals of the Renaissance, was burned at the stake on the charge of heresy by the Roman Inquisition. He is remembered primarily for his cosmological theories, particularly that the universe was infinite with the Earth not being at its centre. Today, he has become a symbol of the struggle for religious and philosophical tolerance. The Trial of Giordano Bruno, originally published in Italian in 2018, provides English audiences with a complete and updated reconstruction of the inquisitorial trial by analysing the accusations, witnesses, and legal proceedings in detail. The author also gives a detailed profile of Bruno as well as the body which arrested and accused him - the Inquisition. This book will appeal to all those interested in the life and death of Giordano Bruno, as well as those interested in Early Modern legal proceedings, the Roman Inquisition, and the history of religious and philosophical tolerance.

Germano Maifreda is Professor of Economic History at the Università degli Studi di Milano.

Chapter 1 "My Profession Has Been and Is Letters and All Science". Profile of a Defendant / Chapter 2 The Circle Closes / Chapter 3 Return to the Past / Chapter 4 The Machine of the Inquisition / Chapter 5 The End in the Beginning / Chapter 6 The Stalemate / Chapter 7 In the Prisons of the Inquisition / Chapter 8 Before the Throne of Peter / Chapter 9 The Choice / Chapter 10 The Mysteries of the Capuchin / Chapter 11 The Summer of 1599 / Chapter 12 "Perhaps it is with greater fear that you pronounce the sentence against me..." / Epilogue. On the Ground of Truth