Abstract

Giordano Bruno's death on 17 February 1600 was steeped in myth from the very start, and over the centuries it has become a true legend that has persisted up to the present day. This essay intends to show, from a rigorous historical perspective, that Bruno's decision to die was the consistent and conscious result of a long and hard struggle fought against others as well as with himself. It was a struggle in which emerged as especially significant the particular mutual – and not always fully understood – relationship between Giordano Bruno and Pope Clement VIII, above all during the final stage of the trial.