Antonio Cocchi Donati

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Antonio Cocchi Donati, known in Latin as Antonius de Cocchis, was an Italian jurist born on November 17, 1450, in Florence. He studied law in Siena and Perugia and earned his Pisa degree on October 22, 1473, in the presence of prominent Florentine jurists. He began his career as an extraordinary professor of Canon Law with a salary of 80 fiorini and became a full professor in 1475. In 1476 he started serving as vicar to Francesco Salviati; Salviati died in the Pazzi conspiracy of 1478.

After Salviati’s death, Cocchi was briefly elected by the Pisa canons as vicar and deputy chancellor of the Florence-Pisa pontifical law school, but his term ended when Ludovico Martelli claimed the office. Despite this setback, Cocchi continued to work in public life, serving as judge pro tribunali sedens from March 31, 1476, to April 29, 1478, and maintaining a respectful relationship with Marsilio Ficino. He later faced competition for the canon law chair, notably from Filippo Decio, but remained highly regarded by students and the Medici circle. Notable students included Angelo Poliziano, who held the chair of Latin and Greek eloquence from 1480 and received his canon law degree from Cocchi and Francesco Pepi; Giovanni de’ Medici attended classes in 1489–1490. Cocchi also led morning canon law lectures after Felino Sandei left for Rome.

Only a small amount of his scholarly work remains known; some legal notes survive in manuscripts in Florence, Pisa, and Perugia. His family included his brother Niccolò, a long-serving official in Arezzo, and another brother Giovanni, who supported humanist studies under Marsilio Ficino. He was married twice, first to Agnoletta and then to Filippa (Pippa) Rucellai. Antonio Cocchi Donati died in Florence after a short illness on September 13, 1491.