Ficino, Marsilio

Abstract

(1433–1499), Italian humanist and philosopher. The son of a medical doctor, Ficino was a student of philosophy. The flight to Italy of Byzantine scholars after the fall of Byzantium in 1453 provided Italian humanists with the opportunity to discover Greek works which were then unknown in the West; thus, young Ficino discovered and developed a passion for plato, learning Greek in order to study his works. Ficino earned the patronage of the Médicis, who protected and aided him throughout his life, and who gave him precious Greek manuscripts (which Ficino translated). In short, Ficino became a well known and respected cultural figure, gathering around himself a number of students at his Platonic Academy.