William of Baskerville
| William of Baskerville | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The Name of the Rose |
| Created by | Umberto Eco |
| Portrayed by | Sean Connery |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Franciscan Friar, Former Inquisitor |
| Title | Brother |
| Nationality | Scottish |
William of Baskerville (Italian: Guglielmo da Baskerville) is a fictional Franciscan friar from the 1980 historical mystery novel Il nome della rosa (The Name of the Rose) by Umberto Eco, which is itself a recounting of events as experienced by Adso of Melk, a Francisian novice with whom William travels. Years earlier, as an inquisitor, Brother William presided at some trials in England and Italy, where he distinguished himself by his along with great humility.
Following the events of The Name of the Rose, Adso and William part ways, with Adso relating the tale before his death. We are informed near the end of the book that William had earlier died during a Plague in Europe.
In numerous cases Willam decided the accused was innocent. In one of his most consequential cases, William refused to condemn a man on charges of heresy, despite the demands of the inquisitor Bernardo Gui. The accusations of heresy stemmed from the man's translation of a Greek book that contradicted the scriptures. Despite his appeals to the Pope, William was imprisoned and tortured until he recanted, in turn leading to the translator's death by burning at the stake. Though he departed from his role as an inquisitor, his torture and the death of the accused remain fresh in his mind. In the 1986 movie The Name of the Rose, Sean Connery played the role of Brother William of Baskerville.
The fictional friar, William of Baskerville, alludes both to the fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes and to William of Ockham. The name itself is derived from William of Ockham and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book The Hound of the Baskervilles. Another view is that Eco has created Brother William as a combination of Roger Bacon, William of Ockham and Sherlock Holmes. (William himself notes that Bacon was a mentor of his and cites his ideas several times in the course of the book.)
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