Francesco Maria Ottieri facts for kids

Conte-Marchese Francesco Maria Ottieri (born July 8, 1665 – died May 13, 1742) was an Italian historian. He is famous for writing an eight-volume history book. This book was all about the War of the Spanish Succession, a big war that happened from 1701 to 1714. Ottieri wrote his detailed history between 1716 and 1735.

Who Was Francesco Ottieri?

Francesco Maria Ottieri was born in Florence, Italy. His father was a Count, and his mother was a Marchesa. When Francesco was only five years old, his father passed away. He grew up with his mother, Marchesa Minerva.

His Early Life and Education

As a young boy, Francesco became a page in the court of Grand-Duke Cosimo III de' Medici. A page was like an assistant to important people. In this court, he met famous people. These included Magliabecchi, a well-known librarian, and Redi, a respected scientist. Francesco Ottieri studied in Florence, which was a center for learning at the time.

Travels and Challenges

When he was 17, Francesco Ottieri was able to get money to travel. He explored many parts of Europe. He visited big cities like Paris, and countries such as England and the Netherlands. He also went to Vienna. Later, he went to Rome with his sister. She was marrying an important person from Florence.

In Rome, Francesco got married too. His wife, Olimpia Maidalchini, came from an important family. This family was connected to Pope Innocent X. Francesco hoped to get a job working for the church government in Rome. However, he was not able to find a position there.

Writing His Great Work

Since he couldn't get a job in the church government, Francesco Ottieri decided to write. He chose to write about the recent wars. His goal was to create a detailed history of these events.

He had some important people who supported his work, like Cardinal Domenico Passionei. But even with this support, his book faced many challenges. It was difficult to get his history published at first. For many years, he worked hard. He rewrote parts of his first volumes to make them acceptable for publication.

It wasn't until a later Pope, Benedict XIV, came into power that Francesco found the help he needed. With this new support, he was finally able to finish and publish his important eight-volume history. This book became a key record of the War of the Spanish Succession.