"There is high drama here: the suspension of the debate by Pope Innocent VIII; the appointment of a high-level papal commission to investigate the theses' orthodoxy; Pico's defiant publication of his Apology and his flight from Rome; his capture, excommunication, and imprisonment in France; the intervention of the French count and Lorenzo de' Medici on his behalf; his provisional release and escape to Florence; and so on."
Farmer in his introductory essay on the 900 Theses.
Here are a collection of biographies of Pico.
An overview of the life of Pico. I don't know the author or source. Note the criticisms of Pico's credulity towards astrology and other esoteric systems at the time of the 900 Theses and the way his later works are considered refutations; this is not accurate.
Another overview of Pico. This is a short section from Forrest Baird, Human Thought and Action, which gives an accurate introduction to Pico's life.
The scandal between Pico and Margherita, the wife of Giuliano dei Medici. This essay is called Patterns of Repentance in Pico's Life and Thought, and was written by Pier Cesare Bori.
Pico della Mirandola and Mysticism. I don't know the author or source, but this is an interesting overview. It seems to contain some minor errors caused by out-dated scholarship.
Pico and the Oration on the Dignity of Man. This short essay was written by Jason Carr and seems to be the introduction to a printed edition of the Oration. The text is interesting because it is very critical of Pico's systems and of Christianity in general. Note that Carr accuses Pico of not being a humanist.
Pico and the Renaissance. This is chapter 2 from Walter Pater's The Renaissance, written in 1871.
Humanism and the Renaissance. Outstanding essay by Richard Hooker about Humanism and Pico's relationship to it.
Pico and Theosophy. This is from the Theosophy Library Online's Great Teacher Series. It's a worthwhile overview of Pico's system, though it does have a tendancy to slip into theosophical terms he never used himself. Some interesting quotes.
I'm trying to give credit for where I found these texts, but I can't always remember. So if you're the author and you want me to take your work down, update your work, or add a link to the url source, please contact me. Alternatively, if you've written an essay on Pico and you want me to put it up, again, drop me a line.
