Original scientific paper
Europe under Attack: Some Thoughts on the Continental Dimension of Marko Marulić’s Epistola ad Adrianum VI. Pontificem Maximum
Isabella Walser-Bürgler
; Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Neo-Latin Studies, Innsbruck
Abstract
Marko Marulić’s Epistola ad Adrianum VI. Pontificem Maximum, published in April
1522, has been the subject of numerous examinations. Even though there is some disagreement
on certain points (such as when exactly the letter was written and whether the
newly elected pope, Adrian, served as the actual addressee), most scholars agree on its
value as a document of the Ottoman threat to Christendom in the sixteenth century from
the perspective of a renowned Croatian humanist. However, there is an additional layer, a
continental dimension to the text that has, for the most part, been overlooked. This paper
aims at providing the letter with a new reading in the light of this continental dimension
and going beyond the existing interpretation frame by embedding Marulić’s message into
the context of the early modern conceptualization of Europe as an ideological entity. In
doing so, Marulić’s role as a ‘Croatian patriot’ will be as much revalued as the epistolary
format of the text. Europeanization, cosmopolitanism, and public pamphleteering will be
the key issues of the paper, offering fresh insights into the understanding of the Epistola
and its author.
Keywords
Marko Marulić; discourse of Europe; res publica Christiana; pope Adrian VI; early modern pamphlet; Epistola ad Adrianum VI; Ottoman conflicts
Hrčak ID:
277992
URI
Publication date:
10.6.2022.
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