Judah Abravanel

A philosopher, physician, and poet, Judah Abravanel (Leone Ebreo) was the son of Isaac Abravanel. Born in Lisbon, Judah fled with his family in 1483, after his father, who had been treasurer to the king of Portugal, was accused of treason. In Spain, Judah served as court physician to the Catholic Monarchs. He returned to Portugal with his family after the expulsion in 1492. Three years later his son Isaac, along with other Jewish children, was seized and baptized according to the order of King Manuel. Judah Abravanel left Portugal in 1496 after the decree of expulsion and reached Naples, where he served as court physician to the kings of the Aragon dynasty and became acquainted with a circle of humanists who were active there and shared his interest in classics and Neoplatonic philosophy. In 1501, he moved to Genoa, where he began to write the Dialoghi d’amore (Dialogues of Love), generally understood to have been completed around 1512 when he was living in Venice; the book was published posthumously in 1535.