| Authorised form of name | Leti; Gregorio (1630 - 1701); historian and author |
| Other forms of name | Giulio |
| Girolamo |
| Other forms of surname | Capocoda |
| Lunadoro |
| Dates | 1630 - 1701 |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Place of birth | Milan, Kingdom of Italy, Europe |
| Date of birth | 29 May 1630 |
| Place of death | Amsterdam, Dutch Republic [modern day Netherlands], Europe |
| Date of death | 9 June 1701 |
| Occupation | Author |
| Activity | Education:
Jesuit School at Cosenza; Pupil of his uncle, Agostino Leti, Bishop of Acquapendente
Career:
Went to Geneva, where he became a Protestant (1660); wrote polemical books against the Roman Catholic Church; acted as unofficial censor for the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, to ensure that nothing prejudicial to the Medici was published in Switzerland; held various diplomatic posts for Venice and France; naturalised Swiss (1674); banished from Geneva for defaming the Protestant religion, for 'Machiavellianism' and for immorality (1679); went to France and then London, where he incurred the enmity of the Roman Catholic community (1680-1683); fled to Holland |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 30/11/1681 |
| Age at election | 51 |
| Proposer | Sir Theodore de Vaux |
| Other Royal Society activity | Last in 1683 Printed list |
| Relationships | Parents: Girolamo Lampugnano and Isabella Lampugnano
Married: Maria Guerin
Additional relatives: son-in-law Jean Leclerc |
| PublishedWorks | RCN: 49043 |
| OtherInfo | Despite his frequent travels, often done out of necessity or threat, Leti was well-connected at various courts in Europe and was commissioned by Charles II to write a history of England. However, his publication of 'Il Teatro Britannico' (1683) offended the King and he fled to Amsterdam, where he worked as the city historiographer from 1685 onwards. One of his most famous, and most translated, works is his biography of Pope Sixtus V in 1685. He was inactive in the Royal Society's work and last appeared in its printed lists in 1683. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
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| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; Hunter; IBI; Enciclopedia Italiana, vol XX; Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, vol. 64 |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/4940467 |
| Code | NA1824 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| IM/002723 | Leti, Gregorio | nd |
| EL/L5/98 | Letter, from Gregorio Leti to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Geneva | 22 August 1676 |
| EL/L5/97 | Letter, from Gregorio Leti to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Geneva | 8 July 1676 |