Information About

Vannoccio Biringuccio




Biringuccio was born in Siena. His father, thought to have been an architect, was Paolo Biringuccio and his mother was Lucrezia Di Bartolommeo Biringuccio . He was baptised on October 20 1480 .

He was a follower of Pandolfo Petrucci , the head of the powerful Petrucci Family . Pandolfo employed him as a metallurgist. When Pandolfo died, Biringuccio remained tied to the Petrucci family, being employed by Pandolfo's son Borghese Petrucci . However, the uprising of 1515 forced Borghese to flee from Siena, taking Biringuccio with him. Biringuccio traveled about Italy, and visited Sicily in 1517 .

In 1523 Pope Clement VII caused the reinstatement of the Petrucci family, and along with them Biringuccio was able to return from exile. In 1524 he was granted a monopoly on the production of Saltpeter across all of Siena. However, this was short lived — in 1526 , the people of Siena revolted and threw the Petrucci family out again. The family made an attempt (aided by Biringuccio) to regain Siena by force, but it failed.

In 1530 , Siena entered a more peaceful phase, and Biringuccio returned. He was a Senator of the city in January and February of 1531 , and took part in various projects.

In 1536 , he was offered a job in Rome by the Church, and in 1538 he became head of the papal foundry, and director of munitions.

His exact place and date of death is unknown; all that is known is that a document dated April 30 1539 mentions his death.


REFERENCES


  • Vanoccio Biringuccio (1540), Translated by Cyril Stanley Smith and Martha Teach Gnudi, ''The Pirotechnia of Vanoccio Biringuccio'', pp. ix-x . Dover. ISBN 0-486-26134-4



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