Giuseppe Gaspare Belcredi
(Pavia 1739-1806)
The Marquis Giuseppe Gaspare Belcredi of an ancient feudal family, was born in Pavia by Pio and Maria Olginati from Como, who died shortly after giving birth.
He attended the Clementino in Rome, one of the most prestigious colleges for Italian nobles and, after graduating in law from the University of Pavia in 1762, he was admitted to the local board of judges.
Appointed member of the urban heritage, he debuted in judicial activity as defender of prisoners and in his academic career a as substitute teacher without pay of Giacomo Parodi, professor of history of feudal laws and customs.
During Maria Theresa’s reign, he held several roles in the civic administration, being teacher of civil and feudal right from 1763 to 1796, rector in 1779-80 and again in 1795-96 along with the role of political provincial censor from 1769.
Secretary of Accademia degli Affidati which used to reunite in his palace, he was a man of cosmopolitan culture and interdisciplinary attention to the currents of thought and the events of his time. Among his friends Mascheroni, Volta, Gregorio Fontana, Bertola.
The arrival of the French in Pavia in May 14th 1796, the counter-revolutionary uprisings and their bloody repression, the sack of the city ordered by the Bonaparte, were traumatic events for Belcredi and his family. Arrested, he was taken to Milan and put on trial on July 4 along with the entire Municipality of Pavia, but they were all acquitted for lack of evidences.
After these events Belcredi retired from the public eye to re-enter the scene in 1799 during the Austro-Russian reaction in order to remain with the Italian Republic, until his death in 1806.
In the court dedicated to Alessandro Volta in the University of Pavia there is a plaque to remember Belcredi that says:
IOSEPHO GASPARI
DE BELCREDIS/ MARCHIONI PLVRIFARIAM DEMARCHO/ E IVRICONSVLTORVM CONLEGIO/
ABBATI ORDINIS DECVRION/ PRAEFECTO PATRIMONI ET CONVENTVS MVNICIPI/ REGIO
CENSORI/ SCRIBAE PERP. PATRIAE SODALITATIS LITTERARIAE/ PROFESSORI EMERITO/
ANTIQVITATVM IVRISQVE CIVILIS ET FEVDALIS/ GYMNASIARCHAE DIGNITATE PLVRIES
AVCTO/ QVI VIXIT ANNIS LXVI/ DOCTRINAE RELIGIONIS ET BONITATIS EXEMPLAR/
DISCESSIT V EID. IANVAR AN. MDCCCVI/ AMPLIVS CC VOLVMINIBVS EXQVISITIORIBVS/
HVIC BIBLIOTHECAE LEGATIS/ DARIA EGNATII CANERAE COMITIS DE SALASCO/ ET
FRANCISCA IOSEPHI TROTTI COMITIS/ PATRI BENEMERENTISSIMO POSVIMVS/ IN EIVS ERGA
NOS ADFECTIONIS HOSTIMENTVM
History of Miscellanea Belcredi
Download the Inventario della Miscellanea Belcredi
(PDF - 20,5 mb)
Find Manuscripts by Giuseppe Gaspare Belcredi in Inventario dei manoscritti Ticinesi