Huisarrest galileo biography

Galileo was sentenced to house arrest.

In 1633, Galileo was sentenced by the Holy Office to house arrest in his villa in Arcetri.

House arrest meant something very different in seventeenth century Italy than it does today. It didn't necessitate being confined to a house.

Huisarrest galileo biography

It was typically an injunction specifying where you can and can't go. Galileo commonly left the house to visit his daughters in a nearby convent, and there were other documented accounts of his leaving his house.

The loose application of 'house arrest' by the Holy Office allowed for an offender to continue working, even if it was outside his/her house [_1_] .

Sending a "breadwinner" to prison was tremendously punitive to the offender's family, especially for the poor or middle class. The Inquisition's version of house arrest could punish the offender with less impact on the offender's family.

House arrest and the use of penances was a more humane and practical alterna