Background
Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti was born on the 19th of September, 1774 in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
cardinal Librarian linguist priest university professor
Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti was born on the 19th of September, 1774 in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti was educated in Bologna, he completed his theological studies before he had reached the minimum age for ordination as a priest. He was ordained in 1797.
Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti became professor of Arabic at the University of Bologna. He later lost the position for refusing to take the oath of allegiance required by the Cisalpine Republic, which governed Bologna at the time. In 1803 he was appointed assistant librarian of the Institute of Bologna, and soon afterwards was reinstated as professor of Oriental languages and of Greek.
The chair of Oriental languages was suppressed by the viceroy in 1808, but again rehabilitated on the restoration of Pope Pius VII in 1814.
In 1833, he succeeded Angelo Mai as Custodian-in-Chief of the Vatican Library, and in 1838 was made cardinal of the title of Saint Onofrio al Gianicolo and director of studies in the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. His other diverse interests included ethnology, archaeology, numismatics, and astronomy
Mezzofanti was well known for being a hyperpolyglot who according to Russell 1858 spoke at least thirty languages "with rare excellence",
Hebrew, Rabbinical Hebrew, Arabic, Chaldee, Coptic, Ancient Armenian, Modern Armenian, Persian, Turkish, Albanese, Maltese, Greek, Romaic, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Flemish, English, Illyrian, Russian, Polish, Czechish, or Bohemian, Magyar, Chinese.
He was reported to have spoken nine other languages fluently, and with dozens of others he is said to have had at least basic knowledge.