"We can't avoid reasoning; we can only avoid doing it well."

Peter Kreeft

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (1225 - 1274 A.D.)

St. Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 or 1226 in the castle of Roccasecca, near the town Aquino, situated about midway between Rome and Naples, Italy.

The ruins of the castle of Roccasecca ("Dry Rock"). Below starts the flat land of the Aquino. -2- The castle was that of his father, the Count Landulph of Aquino. He was a knight of noble lineage and Lombard descent. His mother, Theodora, was a noblewoman from Naples and was of Norman descent. Though Thomas's family members were descendants of Emperors Frederick I and Henry VI, they were considered to be of lower nobility.

"Plaza Santo Tomas De Aquino"...... Aquino, Italy

The Lombards were the last Germanic tribe to invade Roman lands in the middle 6th century. They originated somewhere in modern day Poland and migrated southward towards present day Hungary and Austria before storming into the Italian Peninsula. Comprised of only a few hundred thousand men, women, and children, they were one of the smallest tribes to enter Roman territory, and their aim was not to merely conquer, but to settle.

The Normans (French: Normands; Latin: Nortmanni) were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native Merovingian culture formed from Salian Franks and Roman Gauls.

Thomas was the youngest boy in a large family. There were at least three older brothers, Aimo, Ronald, and Landulph; and four sisters, Marotta, Theodora, Mary and one whose name is not known.

Before St. Thomas Aquinas was born, a holy hermit shared a prediction with his mother, foretelling that her son would enter the Order of Friars Preachers, become a great learner and achieve unequaled sanctity.

When St. Thomas was an infant, the little sister whose name is unknown was killed by lightning while he slept nearby in the same room of the castle.

The boys in the family grew up to be a warriors, but Thomas was different...

References:

  1. Rengers, Christopher. The 33 Doctors of the Church. Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, 2000. Print.
  2. Thomas Aquinas – Biography: http://www.egs.edu/library/thomas-aquinas/biography/
  3. St. Thomas Aquinas-Biography: http://www.biography.com/people/st-thomas-aquinas-9187231
  4. The Map of Italy: http://mapssite.blogspot.com/2008/08/map-of-europe-rome.html
  5. The Ruins of the castle of Rocasecca: http://www.aquinosindacoemerito-grincia.it/aquinonelmondo.html
  6. Plaza Santo Tomas De Aquino: http://www.meteo-europ.com/en/it/lazio/aquino-pictures.html
  7. The Lombards: http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13487
  8. The Normans: Wikipedia. "Normans."