Main description:

For centuries Latin was the undisputed lingua franca of intellectual communication throughout Europe. During the course of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, however, this dominance began to be challenged by the rise of vernacular languages, which competed for equivalent status. The fifteen essays in this volume explore these complex interactions between Latin and the vernacular in the context of early modern European culture. It offers the first pan-European look at the history of this relationship considering both the history and geographies of this interaction. It demonstrates how - in an age when national identities were emerging and religious and cultural conflicts were inflaming Europe - the choice between Latin and local vernaculars was underpinned by specific political and intellectual agendas. The essays in this volume, authored by a selection of international early career and renowned scholars, explore the conscious decisions about language use made by early modern humanists and scientists across a wide range of disciplines and methodologies.
Through an examination of the complex interactions between Latin and the vernacular within the context of early modern European culture, the collection offers an innovative, interdisciplinary approach that will be of value to scholars working on a broad range of philological, intellectual, historical, medical, artistic and literary topics.