Gian Giorgio Trissino

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Gian Giorgio Trissino by Giuseppe Zanetti, 1950
Giardini Salvi
Corso SS. Felice e Fortunato
Vicenza, May 2025

“Gian Giorgio Trissino (8 July 1478 – 8 December 1550), also called Giovan Giorgio Trissino and self-styled as Giovan Gi?rgio Trissino, was a Venetian Renaissance humanist, poet, dramatist, diplomat, grammarian, linguist, and philosopher. He first proposed adding letters to the Italian alphabet to distinguish J from I, and V from U. Trissino was born of a patrician family in Vicenza. He sided with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian whose army entered Vicenza in June 1509, accompanied by members of Vicentine nobility including the Thiene, Chiericati, and Porto families. When Venice reconquered Vicenza on 12 November 1509, Trissino was punished for his betrayal and sent into exile. He then traveled to Germany and Lombardy and was pardoned by Venice in 1516. He eventually came under the protection of Pope Leo X, Pope Clement VII, and Pope Paul III. He had the advantages of a good humanistic training, studying Greek under Demetrios Chalkokondyles at Milan and philosophy under Niccolò Leoniceno at Ferrara. His culture recommended him to the humanist Pope Leo X, who in 1515 sent him to Germany as his nuncio; later on Pope Clement VII showed him special favour, and employed him as ambassador.” (Gian Giorgio Trissino, Wikipedia)