Original scientific paper
The Two Lives of an Oration. Additions to the Origins of Tranquillus Andronicus’ Anti-Turkish Speech from 1541
Péter Kasza
orcid.org/0000-0001-8909-9876
; Philology and Neo-Latin Studies, University of Szeged
Abstract
The anti-Turkish speech was one of the most popular genres of the 16th century. We can hardly think of any noted humanist in the realm of South-Central Europe who did not write one, either out of his own volition or on behalf of someone else. Yet, the case of Tranquillus Andronicus, a Dalmatian who served Hungary for several years, is still special as he wrote at least four works of this kind, which is a rarity among his contemporaries. Due to the popularity of the genre, however, these speeches contain a great deal of clichés, so it is a question whether it is worth examining them either as literary works of art or sources. The paper starts with a short introduction to the history of the genre, followed by a presentation of the most important biographical information on the life of Tranquillus Andronicus, and then makes an attempt to show, on the basis of the Dalmatian humanist’s speech printed in 1541, how this early modern genre can be examined in the light of new sources.
Keywords
Tranquillus Andronicus; Buda; speeches against the Turks; Oratio ad Germanos de bello suscipiendo contra Thurcos (1541)
Hrčak ID:
180526
URI
Publication date:
21.4.2017.
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