Lawyer and author of the

On May 8, 1492, Andrea Alcato, a lawyer and representative of Renaissance humanism, was born in Italy. He studied Alcato in Milan and Pavia, and in his early years excelled in the field of law. After his studies, he taught in Milan, and also wrote a number of treatises in which he focused on jurisprudence, turning to philological and historical methods.

From year to year, Alcato's fame grew, and in 1521 he went to teach in the French city of Avignon. After a few years, the teacher returned to Milan and soon received the title of Count. Colleagues began to envy Alcato, who, faced with hostility, was forced to leave his native land again and go to France. This time he got a job teaching at the University of Bourges. In 1532, for the second time, he returned to Italy, lectured at higher educational institutions in Milan, Pavia, and Ferrara.

Alcato is also known as the author of the Book of Emblems, published in 1531. The jurist created allegorical engravings, addressing the topic of morality in society. Each image was accompanied by a caption and verses in Latin. In the first edition, you can count 104 emblems, in the second, after the death of the author, their number increased to 190. The "Book of Emblems" was incredibly popular, it was translated into several European languages, and in the XVI century, many authors took the work as a model for their own similar works.

Andrea Alcato was a connoisseur of ancient classical works. He himself wrote many Latin works, including The History of Milan. The jurist was among the first lawyers to study the history of jurisprudence and observe its development over time.