Donato Giannotti

Who was Donato Giannotti?

Donato Giannotti was an Italian political writer and playwright.

He was one of the leaders of the short-lived Florentine Republic of 1527. He subsequently wrote theoretical works on republicanism. After the return of the Medicis, he lived in exile, dying in Rome. He was supported by Cardinal Niccolò Ridolfi.

He became acquainted with Michelangelo at the time he worked in the Signoria in Florence. According to Vasari, Giannotti approached Michelangelo with the commission from Ridolfi, for the Brutus.