I, Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany,
cannot accept the situation that is at hand. I am the wife of Ferdinand I de’
Medici, mother of Cosimo II de’ Medici, and the beloved granddaughter of
Catherine de’ Medici. Being a descending patron of the House of Medici, I’ve
seen our patronage shape Florence into a cultural center of Europe and into a
new breeding ground for humanists. As for Galileo Galilei, it was through I, the
Grand Duchess of Tuscany, whom Galileo maintained Medici patronage.[1]
Neither Francesco nor Ferdinand had been a direct patron of Galileo, even
though they were interested in scientific discoveries, yet I was one of two
main brokers that funded Galileo during this time.[2]
When the deaths of my dear brother-in-law and husband occurred, it was a horrid
moment for the Medici family, but for Galileo Galilei, it was a moment that
proved to be crucially beneficial for his career.
When
my son, Cosimo II de’ Medici, ascended the throne in 1609, I knew that this was
going to be particularly advantageous for Galileo’s career because new and
controversial ideas are better supported by young patrons seeking an image for
themselves. Furthermore, Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter and called
them the “Stars of Medici” in honor of our family because he deeply desired the
patronage of my son.[3] This
patronage was further granted.
I
now want to turn your attention towards the letter Galileo wrote to me. Yes, I
did criticize Galileo’s theory on science and scripture, but it was through
this patronage crisis that caused a turning point in Galileo’s scientific and
literary activity. You see, I insinuated my doubts of his religious orthodoxy and
in return Galileo wrote to me and explained that scriptural literalism had no
place in scientific inquiry.[4]
Natural processes, which we perceive by careful observation or deduced by
cogent demonstration, cannot be refuted by passages from the Bible. His
explanation seemed plausible to me because I am a patron of scientific
discovery, while also being in the age of a scientific revolution. Yet, Galileo
moved on and found another patron, Pope Urban VIII, which was a horrid mistake.
It led to his demise. Perhaps if Galileo maintained his patronage, I could have
protected him. Although I cannot alter the mind of the Catholic Church nor
further protect Galileo, I do decree the astronomer Galileo Galilei to be not
guilty.
[1] Mario
Biagioli, Galileo, Courtier: The Practice
of Science in the Culture of Absolutism (Chicago: The University of Chicago
Press), 33.
[2] Biagioli,
Galileo, Courtier: The Practice of
Science in the Culture of Absolutism, 33.
[3] John
Bowden, “Galileo’s Patrons,” Australian
Science Teachers Journal, 47 (2001): 41.
[4] SparkNotes
Editors. “SparkNote on Galileo Galilei.” SparkNotes LLC. 2005. http://www.sparknotes.com/
biography/Galileo/ (accessed June 1, 2013).
