Caption: Galileo Galilei (1564--1642) before the Roman Inquisition during his his trial in 1633---the Galileo affair. A very rigorous oral examination.
In fact, Galileo was NOT defiant. He was found guilty of "suspicion of heresy" and he submitted to the decision.
He really had NO choice: he was a faithful Catholic and his family, his friends, and his patron the Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1610--1670; reigned 1621--1670) to think of. He could NOT embarrass and harm them by dying a condemned heretic---he didn't want to for himself either very probably.
Note the Roman Catholic Church had condemned heliocentrism (AKA Copernicanism) as effectively a heresy in 1616---a position from which it would gradually retreat over next two hundred years (see Wikipedia: Heliocentrism: Age of Reason).
Credit/Permission: Cristiano Banti (1824--1904),
1857
(uploaded to Wikipedia
by Sage Ross (AKA User:Ragesoss),
2006) /
Public domain.
Image link: Wikipedia:
File:Galileo facing the Roman Inquisition.jpg.
Local file: local link: galileo_inquisition.html.
File: Galileo file:
galileo_inquisition.html.
