Trial and Recantation of Galileo Galilei
- When
- 1633
- Where
- Rome
- Episodes
- 2
In 1633, Galileo Galilei was tried by the Roman Inquisition for defending heliocentrism. Found vehemently suspect of heresy, he was sentenced to house arrest and forced to recant his views.
Episodes
- Arrival in Rome
Galileo arrived in Rome in February 1633 to face charges from the Inquisition.
- Interrogation and Threat of Torture
In July 1633, Galileo was threatened with torture but maintained his denial of holding Copernican ideas.
Background and detail
Background. Galileo's 1632 publication, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, alienated Pope Urban VIII and the Jesuits. The book appeared to satirize the Pope by placing his arguments in the mouth of a foolish character, breaking previous patronage and leading to a call to Rome.
The Trial. Arriving in Rome in February 1633, Galileo was charged by inquisitor Vincenzo Maculani. Despite a threat of torture during his final interrogation in July, he maintained his denial of holding Copernican ideas after 1616. The Inquisition found him vehemently suspect of heresy.
Sentence and Recantation. The Inquisition issued its sentence on 22 June 1633, finding Galileo guilty. He was forced to recant his heliocentric views and sentenced to house arrest. He was later allowed to return to his villa at Arcetri near Florence in 1634.
People involved
- Galileo Galilei · Defendant
- Vincenzo Maculani · Inquisitor
- Pope Urban VIII · Patron turned opponent
Sources
- Galileo affair Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-19
- Galileo Galilei Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-20
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.