Philip Mazzei
Encyclopedia
Philip Mazzei was an Italian
physician and a promoter of liberty. He was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson
and acted as an agent to purchase arms for Virginia
during the American Revolutionary War
.
in Tuscany
. He studied medicine in Florence
and practiced it in Italy and the Middle East
for several years before moving to London
in 1755 to take up a mercantile career as an importer. While in London he met the Americans Benjamin Franklin
and Thomas Adams
of Virginia. They convinced him to undertake his next venture.
In 1773 he led a group of Italians who came to Virginia to introduce the cultivation of vineyards, olives, and other Mediterranean fruits. Mazzei became a neighbor and friend of Thomas Jefferson
. Mazzei and Jefferson started what became the first commercial vineyard in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They shared an interest in politics and libertarian values, and maintained an active correspondence for the rest of Mazzei's life. In 1779 Mazzei returned to Italy as a secret agent for the state of Virginia. He purchased and shipped arms to them until 1783.
After briefly visiting the United States
again in 1785, Mazzei travelled throughout Europe promoting Republican ideals. He wrote a political history of the American Revolution, "Recherches historiques et politiques sur les Etats-Unis de l'Amerique septentrionale", and published it in Paris
in 1788. After its publication Mazzei became an unofficial roving ambassador in Europe for American ideas and institutions.
While in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
he became attached as a Privy Councilor
at the court of King Stanislaus II. There he became acquainted with Polish liberal and constitutional thought, like the works of Wawrzyniec Grzymała Goślicki and ideas of Golden Freedoms and Great Sejm
. King Stanislaus II appointed him as Polish representative in Paris, where he again met Jefferson.http://www.atlasusa.org/V2/files/pdfs/2004_IR-winter.pdf
After Poland was partitioned
between Russia
and Prussia
in 1795, Mazzei, along with the rest of the Polish court, was given a pension by the Russian crown. He later spent more time in France
and became active in the politics of the French Revolution
under the Directorate
. When Napoleon
overthrew that government Mazzei returned to Pisa
, Italy
. He died there in 1816.
After his death the remainder of his family returned to the United States at the urging of Thomas Jefferson. They settled in Massachusetts and Virginia. Mazzei's daughter married the nephew of John Adams
. A United States 40 cent airmail stamp was issued in 1980 to salute Mazzei's 250th birthday.
and Washington had a big falling out over a letter Jefferson sent to Philip Mazzei in Italy, which called Washington's administration as Anglican, monarchical, and aristocratical as England and claimed that Washington had appointed as military officers all timid men that prefer the calm of despotism to the boisterous sea of liberty. It would give you a fever were I to name to you the apostates who have gone over to these heresies, men who were Samsons in the field and Solomons in the council, but who have had their heads shorn by the harlot England.
The letter was eventually published overseas and then retranslated back into English by Noah Webster
and published in America.
in his book A Nation of Immigrants
, in which he states that:
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
physician and a promoter of liberty. He was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
and acted as an agent to purchase arms for Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Biography
Mazzei was born Filippo Mazzei in Poggio a CaianoPoggio a Caiano
Poggio a Caiano is a town and comune in the Province of Prato, Tuscany region Italy. The town lies 9 km south of the provincial capital of Prato.-The Medici villa:...
in Tuscany
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a central Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence...
. He studied medicine in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
and practiced it in Italy and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
for several years before moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1755 to take up a mercantile career as an importer. While in London he met the Americans Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
and Thomas Adams
Thomas Adams (politician)
Thomas Adams was a politician and businessman from Virginia.Adams was born in New Kent County in 1730. His first political position was as a clerk of Henrico County, and later a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses...
of Virginia. They convinced him to undertake his next venture.
In 1773 he led a group of Italians who came to Virginia to introduce the cultivation of vineyards, olives, and other Mediterranean fruits. Mazzei became a neighbor and friend of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
. Mazzei and Jefferson started what became the first commercial vineyard in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They shared an interest in politics and libertarian values, and maintained an active correspondence for the rest of Mazzei's life. In 1779 Mazzei returned to Italy as a secret agent for the state of Virginia. He purchased and shipped arms to them until 1783.
After briefly visiting the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
again in 1785, Mazzei travelled throughout Europe promoting Republican ideals. He wrote a political history of the American Revolution, "Recherches historiques et politiques sur les Etats-Unis de l'Amerique septentrionale", and published it in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1788. After its publication Mazzei became an unofficial roving ambassador in Europe for American ideas and institutions.
While in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
he became attached as a Privy Councilor
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
at the court of King Stanislaus II. There he became acquainted with Polish liberal and constitutional thought, like the works of Wawrzyniec Grzymała Goślicki and ideas of Golden Freedoms and Great Sejm
Great Sejm
The Great Sejm, also known as the Four-Year Sejm was a Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that was held in Warsaw, beginning in 1788...
. King Stanislaus II appointed him as Polish representative in Paris, where he again met Jefferson.http://www.atlasusa.org/V2/files/pdfs/2004_IR-winter.pdf
After Poland was partitioned
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
between Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
in 1795, Mazzei, along with the rest of the Polish court, was given a pension by the Russian crown. He later spent more time in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and became active in the politics of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
under the Directorate
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
. When Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
overthrew that government Mazzei returned to Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He died there in 1816.
After his death the remainder of his family returned to the United States at the urging of Thomas Jefferson. They settled in Massachusetts and Virginia. Mazzei's daughter married the nephew of John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
. A United States 40 cent airmail stamp was issued in 1980 to salute Mazzei's 250th birthday.
Mazzei letter
Many biographers believe that Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
and Washington had a big falling out over a letter Jefferson sent to Philip Mazzei in Italy, which called Washington's administration as Anglican, monarchical, and aristocratical as England and claimed that Washington had appointed as military officers all timid men that prefer the calm of despotism to the boisterous sea of liberty. It would give you a fever were I to name to you the apostates who have gone over to these heresies, men who were Samsons in the field and Solomons in the council, but who have had their heads shorn by the harlot England.
The letter was eventually published overseas and then retranslated back into English by Noah Webster
Noah Webster
Noah Webster was an American educator, lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and prolific author...
and published in America.
A tribute of a President
This contribution was acknowledged by John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in his book A Nation of Immigrants
A Nation of Immigrants
A Nation of Immigrants is a book on American immigration by President John F. Kennedy.-History:The book was originally written by Kennedy in 1958, while he was still a senator. It was written as part of the Anti-Defamation League's series entitled the One Nation Library...
, in which he states that:
See also
- AbolitionismAbolitionismAbolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
- American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
- Thomas AdamsThomas Adams (politician)Thomas Adams was a politician and businessman from Virginia.Adams was born in New Kent County in 1730. His first political position was as a clerk of Henrico County, and later a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses...
- Benjamin FranklinBenjamin FranklinDr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
- Patrick HenryPatrick HenryPatrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
- Thomas JeffersonThomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
- George MasonGeorge MasonGeorge Mason IV was an American Patriot, statesman and a delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention...
- James MonroeJames MonroeJames Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
- William PacaWilliam PacaWilliam Paca was a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland, and later Governor of Maryland and a United States federal judge.-Early life:...
- Francesco Vigo
- John PageJohn Page (Virginia)John Page was a figure in early United States history. He served in the U.S. Congress and as the 13th Governor of Virginia.Page was born and lived at Rosewell Plantation in Gloucester County...
- Stanisław August Poniatowski
- Founding Fathers of the United StatesFounding Fathers of the United StatesThe Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...
- Italian AmericanItalian AmericanAn Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
- United States Declaration of IndependenceUnited States Declaration of IndependenceThe Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
- List of important people in the era of the American Revolution
In French
- Filippo Mazzei: Recherches Historiques et Politiques sur les Etats-Unis de l'Amérique Septentrionale (Historical and Political Enquiries Concerning the United States of North America). Four Volumes.
- Filippo Mazzei, Stanisław August Poniatowski, Lettres de Philippe Mazzei et du roi Stanislas-Auguste de Pologne., Roma : Istituto storico italiano per l'età moderna e contemporanea, 1982
In Italian
- Filippo Mazzei: Memorie della vita e delle peregrinazioni del fiorentino Filippo Mazzei. a cura di Gino Capponi, Lugano, Tip. della Svizzera Italiana, 1845–1846, 2 volumes
- Filippo Mazzei:Del commercio della seta fatto in Inghilterra dalla Compagnia delle Indie Orientali (manoscritto inedito di Filippo Mazzei – 1769) a cura di Silvano Gelli, Poggio a Caiano, Comune di Poggio a Caiano, 2001.
In English
- Philip Mazzei: My Life and Wanderings, ed. Margherita MarchioneMargherita MarchioneSister Margherita Marchione is a Catholic nun who has written many books defending Pope Pius XII against his critics.Marchione has been a member of the Religious Teachers Filippini for most of her life...
American Institute of Italian Studies, Morristown, NJ, 1980, 437pp. Translation in English of Mazzei's autobography - Philip Mazzei: Selected Writings and Correspondence:
- Vol. I - Virginia's Agent during the American Revolution, XLVIII, 585pp.;
- Vol. II - Agent for the King of Poland during the French Revolution, 802pp.;
- Vol. III - World Citizen, 623pp.
- Cassa di Risparmi e Depositi, Prato, 1983.
- Marchione Margherita: Philip Mazzei: Jefferson's "Zealous Whig", American Institute of Italian Studies, Morristown, NJ, 1975, 352pp.
- Marchione Margherita: The Adventurous Life of Philip Mazzei - La vita avventurosa di Filippo Mazzei (bilingue inglese - italiano), University Press of America, Lanham, MD, 1995, 235pp.
- Marchione Margherita:The Constitutional Society of 1784, Center for Mazzei Studies, Morristown, NJ, 1984, 49pp.
- Marchione Margherita, Philip Mazzei: World Citizen (Jefferson's "Zealous Whig"), University Press of America, Lanham, MD, 1994, 158pp.
In Italian
- Filippo Mazzei: Scelta di scritti e lettere:
- Vol.I: 1765-1788. Agente di Virginia durante la rivoluzione americana; pp.XLVII-582
- Vol.II:1788-1791. Agente del Re di Polonia durante la Rivoluzione Francese; pp. XVI-703,XVII-633
- Vol.III: 1792-1816. Cittadino del Mondo; pp.XVII-633
- Prato, 1984, Ediz.del Palazzo per Cassa di Risparmi e Depositi di Prato.
- Marchione Margherita: Istruzioni per essere liberi ed eguali, Cisalpino-Gogliardica, Milan, 1984, 160pp
- Marchione Margherita: The Adventurous Life of Philip Mazzei - La vita avventurosa di Filippo Mazzei (bilingue inglese - italiano), University Press of America, Lanham, MD, 1995, 235pp.
In English
- Biaggi, Mario: An Appreciation of Philip Mazzei - an Unsung American Patriot, in CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Washington, D.C., September 12, 1984
- Conover Hunt-Jones: Dolley and the "great little Madison" Washington, D.C., 1977
- Di Grazia, Marco: Philip Mazzei, a hero of American independence. Illustrations and cover Marcello Mangiantini, translation Miranda MacPhail Tuscan Regional Government, Poggio a Caiano. nessuna data, circa 1990, 52p
- Gaines, William H.: Virginia History in Documents 1621-1788, Virginia State Library, Richmond, 1974
- Garlick, Richard Jr: Philip Mazzei, Friend of Jefferson: His Life and letters, Baltimore-London-Paris, The John Hopkins Press-Humphrey Nilfort Oxford University Press – Société d’Editions Les Belles Lettres, 1933
- Garlick, Richard Jr: Italy and the Italians in Washington's time, New York Arno Press, 1975,1933
- Guzzetta, Charles: Mazzei in America, in DREAM STREETS - THE BIG BOOK OF ITALIAN AMERICAN CULTURE, Lawrence DiStasi editor, Harper & Row, New York, 1989
- Kennedy, John F.John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
: A Nation of ImmigrantsA Nation of ImmigrantsA Nation of Immigrants is a book on American immigration by President John F. Kennedy.-History:The book was originally written by Kennedy in 1958, while he was still a senator. It was written as part of the Anti-Defamation League's series entitled the One Nation Library...
, Harper & Row, New York, 1964 - Lippucci, Mary Theresa: The correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and Philip Mazzei, 1779-1815.
- Malone, Dumas (editor): Dictionary of American Biography, VOL. VI, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1933
- Marraro, Howard R.: An Unpublished Jefferson Letter to Mazzei, Italica, Vol. 35, No. 2 (Jun., 1958), pp. 83–87
- Marraro, Howard R.: Jefferson Letters Concerning the Settlement of Mazzei's Virginia Estate, The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Sep., 1943), pp. 235–242
- Marraro, Howard R.: Philip Mazzei - Virginia's Agent in Europe, New York Public Library, 1935
- Marraro, Howard Rosario: Philip Mazzei and his Polish friends sn,1944?
- Sammartino, Peter: The Contributions of Italians to the United States before the Civil War : a conference to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Philip Mazzei, Washington, D.C., April 18–20, 1980, Washington, D.C., National Italian American Foundation, 1980.
- Schiavo, Giovanni Ermenegildo: Philip Mazzei : one of America's founding fathers, New York : Vigo Press, 1951
In Italian
- AA.VV., Dalla Toscana all’America: il contributo di Filippo Mazzei, Poggio a Caiano, Comune di Poggio a Caiano, 2004.
- Becattini Massimo, Filippo Mazzei mercante italiano a Londra (1756–1772), Poggio a Caiano, Comune di Poggio a Caiano, 1997.
- Bolognesi Andrea, Corsetti Luigi, Di Stadio Luigi: Filippo Mazzei mostra di cimeli e scritti, catalogo della mostra a cura di, Poggio a Caiano, palazzo Comunale, 3-25 luglio 1996, Comune di Poggio a Caiano, 1996.
- Camajani Guelfo Guelfi,Filippo Mazzei : un illustre toscano del Settecento : medico, agricoltore, scrittore, giornalista, diplomatico, Firenze, Associazione Internazionale Toscani nel Mondo, 1976.
- Ciampini Raffaele, Lettere di Filippo Mazzei alla corte di Polonia (1788–1792), Bologna : N. Zanichelli, 1937
- Corsetti Luigi, Gradi Renzo: Bibliografia su Filippo Mazzei Avventuriero della Libertà" a cura di, con scritti di Margherita Marchione e Edoardo Tortarolo, Poggio a Caiano, C.I.C Filippo Mazzei - Associazione Culturale "Ardengo Soffici", 1993.
- Di Stadio Luigi, Filippo Mazzei tra pubblico e privato. Raccolta di documenti inediti", a cura di, Poggio a Caiano, Biblioteca Comunale di Poggio a Caiano, 1996.
- Gerosa Guido, Il fiorentino che fece l'America. Vita e avventure di Filippo Mazzei 1730-1916, Milano, SugarCo Edizioni, 1990.
- Gradi Renzo, Un bastimento carico di Roba bestie e uomini in un manoscritto inedito di Filippo Mazzei, Poggio a Caiano, Comune di Poggio a Caiano, 1991.
- Gradi Renzo, Parigi: luglio 1789. Scritti e memorie del fiorentino Filippo Mazzei, a cura di, Comune di Poggio a Caiano, 1989.
- Gullace Giovanni, Figure dimenticate dell'indipendenza americana, Filippo Mazzei e Francesco Vigo, Roma : Il Veltro, 1977.
- Masini Giancarlo, Gori Iacopo, L'America fu concepita a Firenze, Firenze : Bonechi, 1998
- Tognetti Burigana Sara, Tra riformismo illuminato e dispotismo napoleonico; esperienze del "cittadino americano" Filippo Mazzei, Roma, Edizioni di Storia e letteratura, 1965.
- Tortarolo Edoardo, Illuminismo e Rivoluzioni. Biografia politica di Filippo Mazzei, Milano, Angeli, 1986.
- Witold Łukaszewicz, Filippo Mazzei, Giuseppe Mazzini; saggi sui rapporti italo-polacchi., Wroclaw, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, 1970.