Antonio Franconi

Antonio Franconi (born Aug. 5, 1737, Udine, Republic of Venice [now in Italy]—died Dec. 6, 1836, Paris, France) was an impresario considered the founder of the French circus and, with Philip Astley, the founder of the modern circus.

A member of a noble Venetian family, Franconi fled to France, where he stayed until 1756, after killing an opponent in a duel. Beginning his circus career as a lion trainer in Lyon, Fr., he next exhibited trained canaries in France and Spain and in 1773 staged a bullfight in Rouen. He became associated with Astley’s Amphitheatre in Paris, and in 1793 he leased the theatre from Astley, renaming it the Amphithéâtre Franconi. Thereafter, Franconi concentrated on expanding and varying his spectacles, especially with trick riding (in which he himself had some skill). He subsequently built the Cirque Olympique de Franconi, management of which he transferred, in 1805, to his sons Henri and Laurent, who likewise gained reputations as notable circus men. His youngest son, Victor, established the first open-air hippodrome in Paris, where he developed a flamboyant circus that especially influenced the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circuses in the United States.