Cantù, Cesare (1804-1895)

Italian historian and novelist. His Storia universale/A History of the World (1836-42; in 35 volumes) is often polemical, and written with a strong clerical bias. He also wrote numerous works on Italian history and histories of Greek, Latin, and Italian literature.

Cantú was born in Brivio near Milan. He was imprisoned 1832-33 for remarks made against the policy of the Austrian government in his book Ragionamenti sulla storia lombarda nel secolo XVII. While in prison he wrote his historical novel Margherita Pusterla, published 1838.