De gerendo magistratu: introduction, edition, translation, notes by Giovanni De Vita

Francesco Patrizi (Siena, 1413 – Gaeta, 1494) was one of the most important humanists of the Italian Renaissance. A distinguished scholar, diplomat, and political thinker, he developed a conception of government grounded in the moral formation of rulers and magistrates. At the center of his political thought stood the classical virtues – justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude – which he regarded as essential prerequisites for the good governance of the commonwealth. For Patrizi, political authority derived its legitimacy not merely from institutions or laws, but from the virtue and wisdom of those entrusted with public office. His works sought to reconcile humanistic education with civic responsibility, presenting ethical excellence as the foundation of political stability and the public good.

Giovanni De Vita holds a PhD in Italian Literature from the University of Naples “L’Orientale” and teaches literature in secondary education. He has published essays and studies in books and academic journals devoted to fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Italian literature, with particular attention to Boccaccio, the political dimension of his work, and the tradition of short fiction in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries following the Decameron. A second area of research concerns ethical and political thought between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. He recently edited the critical edition of Enceclopedia by Giovan Battista Manso (Naples, 2025).