Ignatius Barozzo di Tolia
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Ignatius Barozzo di Tolia | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8-6 720 TT |
| Died | 8-6 682 TT Tolia |
| Occupation | Philosopher |
| Years active | 701 TT – 682 TT |
| Known for | Nobiles |
| Parent(s) | Niccolò Barozzo di Tolia (father) Marietta Barozzo di Tolia (mother) |
Ignatius Barozzo di Tolia (8-6 720 TT – 8-6 682 TT) was a Rossan aristocrat, writer and philosopher, best known for his political text Nobiles, one of the earliest works published with the printing press. Born into the wealthy Barozzo Family, which had ruled the city of Tolia for centuries beforehand, he was primarily known for his lavish lifestyle during his time, with little attention paid to his works, beyond the initial novelty of printing. The text, arguing in favor of the very aristocracy that he is part of, centers around the idea that the system of carefully planned marriages and internal elections among the Six Families selects for the greatest leaders, unlike more popular forms of governments, such as democracies, which he viewed as easily corruptible and prone to poor decisionmaking.
Despite the limited impact he had made during his life, his texts have been readopted centuries later by Rossan conservatives who opposed the democratic reforms following the Spirit Revolution, and later La Denunzia, and sought to bring back the nobility back to power. The election of Leo Minestrici di Mineria in 39 PC would largely serve as a victory hailed among the movement.
Life
Ignatius Barozzo was born on 8-6 720 TT in Tolia, and was the first child and only child of Niccolò Barozzo di Tolia, the head of the Barozzo Family at the time, and his wife, Marietta Barozzo di Tolia. Born in a time of relative stability, the six Rossan city-states had been unified for over three hundred years (or about five Rossan centuries), and a state of peace had been secured by the strong centralization of power in the Dux, the shared ruler of the island. At the age of six, his father would be elected Dux in an internal election between the island's artistocracy, taking rule over the island and leaving Ignatius primarily to the care of his mother and the Family's servants.
Taught how to read and write by private teachers, Ignatius was a poor student according to his father's notes, for which he oftentimes reprimanded him. Nonetheless, he showed passion for discussing ideas, and would oftentimes have servants write his own down in ways he often couldn't. It is believed that his works later in life (including Nobiles) were mostly, or even entirely, written by ghostwriters. It is thus uncertain how much of the argumentation may be credited to him, and how much of it to the servants who wrote the text. Ignatius' growing up into adulthood coincided with the invention and refinement of the printing press, a revolutionary innovation at the time. Once its capabilities for the mass-spreading of information became obvious, the invention was seized at the behest of the Dux. Deciding that it had clear merit, despite the dangers it may pose in spreading ideas contrary to the nation's rule, the Dux would allow for its limited use under the watchful eyes of the state. Exercising his status as part of a noble Family and the son of the Dux, Ignatius Barozzo would use his position to publish several of his works.
His father would die in 701 TT, just as Ignatius would reach 19 years of age. Finding little ambition in asserting his claim to be the head of the Family, the position would move to his uncle, Adriano Lucius Barozzo, who would host an unsuccessful bid for Dux. Uninterested in rule and politics, he would choose to live lavishly into his later adulthood, spending Family riches on organizing festivities and celebrations, providing little financially in return. In one instance, he would lose over 5000 silver argottos (over 120,000 in today's currency) on a bet on a hog-sledding race, a mostly abandoned sport that saw hogs being strapped to sleds and rolled down a snowy or muddy hill. Finding little respite from his extravagant lifestyle, Ignatius would continue to find pleasure in a life without responsibility. He is believed to have fathered anywhere between 3 and 30 illegitimate children, although it should be noted that most such claims were quickly paid off in order to avoid creating scandal. Barozzo would meet an unfortunate death in 682 TT, being crushed by a barrel of wine he had knocked into while celebrating his birthday.