BUSSOLARO, JACOPO

BUSSOLARO, Jacopo. — Augustinian preacher, b. in Pavia ca. 1312, d. on Ischia in 1380. He entered the Augustinian Hermits at a young age. His fame is almost entirely due to the fierce political struggle he waged against the Visconti, who had invaded his native city. From the pulpit he inveighed against corrupt morals and powerful usurpers, inciting the people to defend themselves. Elected commander of Pavia’s garrison, he organized its defense and on 28 May 1356 defeated the enemy. After freeing the city also from internal foes (the Beccaria family), he granted the Pavesi communal liberties. But on 13 November 1359, after repeated fighting, the Visconti became masters of Pavia and shut the friar in a dark underground cell, ordering that he be fed only bread and water. For fifteen years he languished in prison. Once freed, he took refuge on the island of Ischia, where his brother Bartolomeo was bishop, and there he died.