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Caravaggio Flees Rome

Type Event Region Europe Time 1606

On May 29, 1606, painter Michelangelo Merisi (Caravaggio) fatally wounded Ranuccio Tomassoni in a duel in Rome, then fled to escape papal justice.

Timeline

  1. 1606Campo Marzio · RomeCaravaggio and Ranuccio Tomassoni dueled near Campo Marzio in Rome over an old grudge; Caravaggio stabbed him to death and immediately faced murder charges and an arrest warrant from the papal court.
  2. 1606Rome · RomeAfter the papal arrest warrant was issued, Caravaggio hastily left Rome, cutting short his career among Vatican and aristocratic patronage circles, and successively took refuge in Naples, Malta, and Sicily, beginning his wandering yet prolific late period.

Sources