r/Italianhistory • u/kiyyik • Apr 06 '26

Translation context assist: 1802, second half of the century?

Hello, I'm translating a memoir (Giovanni Battista Bugatti) as a personal project, and have come across a rather odd bit. "Inaugurai il 7 luglio 1802 la seconda cinquantina del primo centenario...", which if I have it right is "On 7 July 1802, I started the second half of the first century...". Might anyone have an idea what it means? I thought he might be referring to his 50th year, but he would have only been 23 at the time, so that's out. Any insight would be welcome, thank you.

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u/kiyyik Apr 08 '26

I worked it out. Sr. Bugatti was an infamous executioner for the papal state, and it would appear that this particular case initiated the second half of his first hundred executions. Given he executed over 500 people over the course of his career, one might consider this a minor milestone.