Ghirlandaio - Tornabuoni Chapel - a Humanist philosopher

The migration waves of

Byzantine Greek Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Ottoman co ...

scholars and émigrés in the period following the

end of the Byzantine Empire The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

in 1453 is considered by many scholars key to the revival of Greek studies that led to the development of the Renaissance humanism and science. These émigrés brought to Western Europe the relatively well-preserved remnants and accumulated knowledge of their own (Greek) civilization, which had mostly not survived the Early Middle Ages in the West. The '' Encyclopædia Britannica'' claims: "Many modern scholars also agree that the exodus of Greeks to Italy as a result of this event marked the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance", although few scholars date the start of the Italian Renaissance this late.

History

The main role of Byzantine scholars within Renaissance humanism was the teaching of the Greek language to their western counterparts in universities or privately together with the spread of ancient texts. Their forerunners were

Barlaam of Calabria Barlaam of Seminara (Bernardo Massari, as a layman), c. 1290–1348, or Barlaam of Calabria ( gr, Βαρλαὰμ Καλαβρός) was an Eastern Orthodox Greek scholar born in southern Italy he was a scholar and clergyman of the 14th century, a ...

(Bernardo Massari) and

Leonzio Pilato Leontius Pilatus (Greek language, Greek: Λεόντιος Πιλάτος, Leontios Pilatos, Italian language, Italian: Leonzio Pilato; died 1366) was an Italians, Italian scholar from Calabria and was one of the earliest promoters of Greek language ...

, two translators who were both born in Calabria in southern Italy and who were both educated in the Greek language. The impact of these two scholars on the humanists was indisputable. By 1500 there was a Greek-speaking community of about 5,000 in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. The Venetians also ruled Crete,

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

, and scattered islands and port cities of the former empire, the populations of which were augmented by refugees from other Byzantine provinces who preferred Venetian to Ottoman governance. Crete was especially notable for the Cretan School of icon-painting, which after 1453 became the most important in the Greek world. After the peak of the Italian Renaissance in the first decades of the 16th century, the flow of information reversed, and Greek scholars in Italy were employed to oppose Turkish expansion into former Byzantine lands in Greece, prevent the Protestant Reformation spreading there and help bring the Eastern Churches back into communion with Rome. In 1577, Gregory XIII founded the

Collegio Pontifico Greco The Pontifical Greek College of St. Athanasius ( it, Pontificio Collegio Greco di Sant’Atanasio, el, Ποντιφίκιο Ελληνικό Κολλέγιο Αγίου Αθανασίου) is a Roman Colleges, Pontifical College in Rome that obs ...

as a college in Rome to receive young Greeks belonging to any nation in which the Greek Rite was used, and consequently for Greek refugees in Italy as well as the Ruthenians and Malchites of Egypt and

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. The construction of the College and Church of S. Atanasio, joined by a bridge over the ''Via dei Greci'', was begun in that year. Although ideas from ancient Rome already enjoyed popularity with the scholars of the 14th century and their importance to the Renaissance was undeniable, the lessons of Greek learning brought by Byzantine intellectuals changed the course of humanism and the Renaissance itself. While Greek learning affected all the subjects of the ''

studia humanitatis The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...

'', history and philosophy in particular were profoundly affected by the texts and ideas brought from

Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion ( grc, Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' cont ...

. History was changed by the re-discovery and spread of Greek historians’ writings, and this knowledge of Greek historical treatises helped the subject of history become a guide to virtuous living based on the study of past events and people. The effects of this renewed knowledge of Greek history can be seen in the writings of humanists on virtue, which was a popular topic. Specifically, these effects are shown in the examples provided from Greek antiquity that displayed virtue as well as vice. The philosophy of not only Aristotle but also Plato affected the Renaissance by causing debates over man’s place in the universe, the immortality of the soul, and the ability of man to improve himself through virtue. The flourishing of philosophical writings in the 15th century revealed the impact of Greek philosophy and science on the Renaissance. The resonance of these changes lasted through the centuries following the Renaissance not only in the writing of humanists, but also in the education and values of Europe and western society even to the present day.Constantinople and the West by Deno John Geanakopulos- Italian Renaissance and thought and the role of Byzantine emigres scholars in Florence, Rome and Venice: A reassessment University of Wisconsin Press, 1989 Deno Geanakopoulos in his work on the contribution of Byzantine Greek scholars to Renaissance has summarised their input into three major shifts to Renaissance thought: * in early 14th century Florence from the early, central emphasis on rhetoric to one on metaphysical philosophy by means of introducing and reinterpretation of the Platonic texts, * in

- Padua by reducing the dominance of Averroist Aristotle in science and philosophy by supplementing but not completely replacing it with Byzantine traditions which utilised ancient and Byzantine commentators on Aristotle, * and earlier in the mid 15th century in Rome, through emphasis not on any philosophical school but through the production of more authentic and reliable versions of Greek texts relevant to all fields of humanism and science and with respect to the Greek fathers of the church. Hardly less important was their direct or indirect influence on exegesis of the New Testament itself through Cardinal Bessarion's inspiration of Lorenzo Valla's biblical emendations of the Latin vulgate in the light of the Greek text.

Scholars

Leo Allatius Leo Allatius (Greek: Λέων Αλλάτιος, ''Leon Allatios'', Λιωνής Αλάτζης, ''Lionis Allatzis''; Italian: ''Leone Allacci, Allacio''; Latin: ''Leo Allatius, Allacius''; c. 1586 – January 19, 1669) was a Greek scholar, theolog ...

(c. 1586 – 1669), Rome, librarian of the library of Vatican * George Amiroutzes (1400–1470), Florence, Aristotelian * Henry Aristippus of Calabria (1105–10 – 1162) * Michael Apostolius (c. 1420 – after 1474 or 1486), Rome * Arsenius Apostolius (c. 1468 – 1538), Venice, bishop of Monemvasia * John Argyropoulos (c. 1415 – 1487), Universities of Florence, Rome * Simon Atumano (14th century), Bishop of Gerace in Calabria * Bessarion (1403–1472), Catholic cardinal * Barlaam of Seminara (c. 1290–1348), he taught Petrarch some rudiments of Greek language *

Zacharias Calliergi Zacharias Calliergi ( el, Ζαχαρίας Καλλιέργης, Zacharias Kalliergēs) was a Greek Renaissance humanist and scholar. He was born in Crete, then a Venetian colony, but emigrated to Rome at a young age. In 1499 he helped bring ou ...

(fl. 1499–1515), Rome * Laonicus Chalcocondyles (c. 1430 – c. 1470), historian, Athens * Demetrius Chalcondyles (1423–1511), Padua, Florence, Milan * Theofilos Chalcocondylis, Florence * Manuel Chrysoloras (c. 1355 – 1415), Florence, Pavia, Rome, Venice, Milan *

John Chrysoloras John Chrysoloras was a relative of Manuel Chrysoloras, (variously described as his nephew, brother or son) who like him had studied and taught at Constantinople and then migrated to Italy. There he was influential in spreading Greek letters in the W ...

, scholar and diplomat: relative of Manuel Chrysoloras, patron of Francesco Filelfo * Andronicus Contoblacas, Basel, teacher of Johann Reuchlin *

Johannes Crastonis Johannes Crastonis (Crastonus; Crastone) was an Italian renaissance humanist and scholar. Crastonus was probably born in Castel San Giovanni close to Piacenza. He was a member of the Carmelites. He studied in Constantinople but migrated to Modena ...

(d. after 1497), Modena, Greek-Latin dictionary * Andronicus Callistus (1400 – c. 1476), Rome, Bologna, Florence, Paris, cousin of Theodorus Gaza *

Demetrius Cydones Demetrios Kydones, Latinized as Demetrius Cydones or Demetrius Cydonius ( el, Δημήτριος Κυδώνης; 1324, Thessalonica – 1398, Crete), was a Byzantine Greek theologian, translator, author and influential statesman, who served an ...

(1324–1398),

Mesazon The ( gr, μεσάζων, mesazōn, intermediary) was a high dignitary and official during the last centuries of the Byzantine Empire, who acted as the chief minister and principal aide of the Byzantine emperor. History and functions The term's ...

of the Byzantine Empire * Mathew Devaris (fl. 1552–1550), Rome * Demetrios Ducas (с. 1480 – c. 1527), Spain *

Elia del Medigo Elia del Medigo, also called Elijah Delmedigo or Elias ben Moise del Medigo and sometimes known to his contemporaries as Helias Hebreus Cretensis or in Hebrew Elijah Mi-Qandia (c. 1458 – c. 1493). According to Jacob Joshua Ross, "whil ...

(c. 1458 – c. 1493), Venice, Rome, Padua, Jewish philosopher *

Antonios Eparchos Antonios Eparchos (Greek: Αντώνιος Έπαρχος; 1491–1571) was a Greek Renaissance humanist, teacher, poet, copyist, collector, soldier and translator of manuscripts. He was born in Corfu and migrated to Venice in 1537. Later, he was p ...

(1491–1571), Venice, scholar and poet * Antonio de Ferraris (c. 1444 – 1517), academic, doctor and humanist * Theodorus Gaza (c. 1398 – c. 1475), first dean of the University of Ferrara, Naples and Rome * George Gemistos Plethon (c. 1355/1360 – 1452/54), teacher of Bessarion * George of Trebizond (1395–1486), Venice, Florence, Rome *

George Hermonymus George Hermonymus ( el, Γεώργιος Ἑρμώνυμος; born before 1435; died after 1503), also known as Hermonymus of Sparta, was a 15th-century Greek scribe, diplomat, scholar and lecturer. He was the first person to teach Greek at the C ...

(before 1435 – after 1503), University of Paris, teacher of Erasmus, Reuchlin, Budaeus and Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples * Georgios Kalafatis (ca. 1652 – ca. 1720), Greek professor of theoretical and practical medicine * Andreas Musalus (ca. 1665/6 – ca. 1721), Greek professor of mathematics, philosopher and architectural theorist * Nicholas Kalliakis (Nicolai Calliachius) (1645–1707), a Greek scholar and philosopher who flourished in Italy. * Mathaeos Kamariotis (d. 1490), Constantinople * Isidore of Kiev (1385–1463) *

Ioannis Kigalas Ioannis Kigalas ( gr, Ιωάννης Κιγάλας), ( it, Giovanni Cigala, Cicala), ( la, Joannes Cigala; 1622 – c. 5 November 1687) was a Greek Cypriot scholar and professor of Philosophy and Logic who was largely active in Padua and Venice ...

(ca. 1622 – 1687), Greek scholar and professor of Philosophy and Logic *

Ioannis Kottounios Ioannis Kottounios, ( el, Ἰωάννης Κωττούνιος, lat, Joannes Cottunius de Verria; c. 1577 – 1658) was an eminent ethnic Greek scholar who studied philosophy, theology and medicine, taught Greek from 1617 and philosophy from 16 ...

(c. 1577 – 1658), Padua * Konstantinos Kallokratos (b. 1589), Calabria * Constantine Lascaris (1434–1501), University of Messina * Janus Lascaris or Rhyndacenus (c. 1445 – 1535), Rome *

Leonard of Chios Leonard of Chios ( el, Λεονάρδος ο Χίος; it, Leonardo di Chio) was a Greek scholar of the Dominican Order and Latin Archbishop of Mytilene, best known for his eye-witness account of the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, which is one o ...

(c. 1395/96 – c. 1458), Greek-born Roman Catholic prelate *

Nikolaos Loukanis Nikolaos Loukanis was a 16th-century Greek Renaissance humanist. He worked in Venice where in 1526 he produced a translation of Homer's Iliad into modern Greek which is credited as one of the first literary texts published in Modern Greek (as most ...

(16th century), Venice * Maximus the Greek (c. 1475 – 1556) studied in Italy before moving to Russia *

Maximos Margunios Maximos Margunios (b.1549 Candia, Crete - d. 1602, Venice) Bishop of Cerigo (Kythira), was a Greek Renaissance humanist. He was a teacher at the Greek school in Venice and noted Patriarch Cyril Lucaris was among his students, Margunios was a suppor ...

(1549–1602), Venice * Marcus Musurus (c. 1470 – 1517), University of Padua * Michael Tarchaniota Marullus (с. 1458 – 1500), Ancona and Florence, friend and pupil of

Jovianus Pontanus Giovanni Pontano (1426–1503), later known as Giovanni Gioviano ( la, Ioannes Iovianus Pontanus), was a humanist and poet from Cerreto di Spoleto, in central Italy. He was the leading figure of the Accademia Pontaniana after the death of Antonio ...

Leonardos Philaras Leonardos Philaras (c. 1595 – 1673) (Greek: Λεονάρδος Φιλαρᾶς, ''Leonardos Filaras'', French: ''Leonard Philara'' also known as Villeret, Villare) was a Greek Athenian scholar, politician, diplomat and advisor to the French ...

(1595–1673), an early advocate for Greek independence * Maximus Planudes (c. 1260 – c. 1305), Rome, Venice, anthologist, mathematician, grammarian, theologian *

Franciscus Portus Franciscus Portus (Latin; Greek: Φραγκίσκος Πόρτος, Italian: Francesco Porto) (1511 – 1581) was a Greek-Italian Renaissance humanist and classical scholar. Biography Born on Crete on 22 August 1511, Portus was orphaned early. H ...

(1511–1581), Venice, Ferrara, Geneva * John Servopoulos (fl. 1484–1500), scholar, professor, Oxford * Nikolaos Sophianos (c. 1500 – after 1551), Rome, Venice: scholar and geographer, creator of the

Totius Graeciae Descriptio Totius Graeciae Descriptio refers to an early antiquarian map of Greece drawn by Renaissance humanist Nikolaos Sophianos that became a cartographical bestseller of the late 16th century. It is eight pages and shows Greece from mythical times to th ...

Nicholas Leonicus Thomaeus Nicholas Leonicus Thomaeus ( it, Niccolò Leonico Tomeo, el, Νικόλαος Λεόνικος Θωμεύς; 1456–1531) was a Venetian scholar and professor of philosophy as well as of Greek and Latin at the University of Padua. Biography ...

(1456–1531), Venice, Padua *

Iakovos Trivolis Iakovos Trivolis (died 1547) was a Greek Renaissance humanist and writer. He published a historical work titled ''History of Tallapieras'' after the exploits of the namesake Venetian ship captain, and the ''Story of the King of Scotia and the Queen ...

(d. 1547), Venice * Gregory Tifernas (1414–1462), Paris, teacher of Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples and Robert Gaguin *

Gerasimos Vlachos Gerasimos Vlachos (1607–1685) was a Greek scholar of the Renaissance. He was born in Heraklion, Crete but migrated to Venice early on and was a student and associate of fellow Greek scholar Theophilos Korydaleus. He specialised in Greek philos ...

(1607–1685), Venice *

Francesco Maurolico Francesco Maurolico (Latin: ''Franciscus Maurolycus''; Italian: ''Francesco Maurolico''; gr, Φραγκίσκος Μαυρόλυκος, 16 September 1494 - 21/22 July 1575) was a mathematician and astronomer from Sicily. He made contributions t ...

(1494–1575), mathematician and astronomer from Sicily

Painting and music

Marco Basaiti Marco Basaiti (c. 1470–1530) was a Renaissance painter who worked mainly in Venice and was a contemporary of Giovanni Bellini and Cima da Conegliano.

(c. 1470 – c. 1530), painter, Venice *

Belisario Corenzio Belisario Corenzio ( el, Βελισσάριος Κορένσιος 1558–1646) was a Greek-Italian painter, active in Venice and Naples. He is one of few Greek painters that did not belong to the Cretan Renaissance like his contemporaries of the ...

(c. 1558–1643), painter, Napoli *

Michael Damaskenos Michael Damaskenos or Michail Damaskenos ( el, Μιχαήλ Δαμασκηνός, 1530/35–1592/93) was a leading post-Byzantine Crete, Cretan Painting, painter. He is a major representative of the Cretan School of painting that flourished i ...

(1530/35–1592/93), Venice, Cretan painter * Georgios Klontzas (1535-1608) Cretan painter * Thomas Flanginis (1578–1648), Venice, funded the establishment of the Flanginian Greek school for teachers *

El Greco Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El G ...

(1541–1614), the nickname for the Cretan painter Dominikos Theotokopoulos, Italy, Spain *

Francisco Leontaritis Francisco Leontaritis or Francesco Londarit or Francesco Londarit, Franciscus Londariti, Leondaryti, Londaretus, Londaratus or Londaritus (1518-1572) was a Greek composer, singer and hymnographer from today's Heraklion of the Venetian-ruled Crete ( ...

(1518 – c. 1572), Italy, Bavaria: singer and composer *

Anna Notaras Anna Notaras Palaiologina ( gr, Ἄννα Νοταρᾶ Παλαιολογίνα; died 8 July 1507) was the daughter of Loukas Notaras, the last '' megas doux'' of the Byzantine Empire. Biography Anna probably left Constantinople prior to fall o ...

(d. 1507), Venice, first Greek printing press *

Angelos Pitzamanos Angelos Pitzamanos ( el, Άγγελος Πιτζαμάνος) (1467–1535) was a Greek Renaissance painter. The artists is sometimes referred to as Angelos Bitzamanos. He was born in Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , A ...

(1467–1535), Cretan painter, Otranto,

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

Nano Chatzidakis: ''The character of the Velimezis Collection''
/ref> *

Janus Plousiadenos Janus Plousiadenos (circa 1429-1500) was a 15th-century Greek Renaissance scholar, hymnographer and composer born in Crete. Plousiadenos was in favor of the Union of the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches and wrote extensively on the subject. Th ...

(c. 1429 – c. 1500), Venice, hymnographer and composer * Theodore Poulakis (1622–1692), Venice, painter *

Emmanuel Tzanes Emmanuel Tzanes ( el, Εμμανουήλ Τζάνες, 1610 – 28 March 1690), also known as Bounialis ( el, Μπουνιαλής) Emmanuel Tzane-Bounialis, Emmanuel Zane, and Emmanuel Tzane. He was a Greek Renaissance painter. He was an ...

(1610–1690), Venice, Cretan painter * John Rhosos (d. 1498), Rome, Venice well-known scribe *

Antonio Vassilacchi Antonio Vassilacchi (; el, Αντώνιος Βασιλάκης, Antonios Vasilakis; 1556–1629), also called L'Aliense, was a Greek painter, who was active mostly in Venice and the Veneto. Biography Antonio Vassilacchi was born of Greek descent ...

(1556–1629), painter from Milos worked in

with

Paolo Veronese Paolo Caliari (152819 April 1588), known as Paolo Veronese ( , also , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter based in Venice, known for extremely large history paintings of religion and mythology, such as ''The Wedding at Cana'' (1563) and ''The ...

References

Sources

* Deno J. Geanakoplos, ''Byzantine East and Latin West: Two worlds of Christendom in Middle Ages and renaissance''. The Academy Library Harper & Row Publishers, New York, 1966. * Deno J. Geanakoplos, (1958) ''A Byzantine looks at the renaissance'', Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 1 (2);pp:157-62. * Jonathan Harris, ''Greek Émigrés in the West, 1400-1520'', Camberley: Porphyrogenitus, 1995. * Louise Ropes Loomis (1908) ''The Greek Renaissance in Italy'' The American Historical Review, 13(2);pp:246-258. * John Monfasani ''Byzantine Scholars in Renaissance Italy: Cardinal Bessarion and Other Émigrés'': Selected Essays, Aldershot, Hampshire: Variorum, 1995. * Steven Runciman, ''The fall of Constantinople, 1453''. Cambridge University press, Cambridge 1965. * Fotis Vassileiou & Barbara Saribalidou, ''Short Biographical Lexicon of Byzantine Academics Immigrants to Western Europe'', 2007. * Dimitri Tselos (1956) ''A Greco-Italian School of Illuminators and Fresco Painters: Its Relation to the Principal Reims * Nigel G. Wilson. ''From Byzantium to Italy: Greek Studies in the Italian Renaissance.'' Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992.

External links

Greece: Books and Writers.

* ttp://www.the-orb.net/encyclop/late/laterbyz/harris-ren.html Jonathan Harris, 'Byzantines in Renaissance Italy'.
Bilingual (Greek original / English) excerpts from Gennadios Scholarios' Epistle to Orators.

Paul Botley, Renaissance Scholarship and the Athenian Calendar.

Karl Krumbacher: 'The History of Byzantine Literature: from Justinian to the end of the Eastern Roman Empire (527-1453)'.

Istituto Ellenico di Studi Byzantini and Postbyzantini di Venezia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greek Scholars In The Renaissance Byzantine science Renaissance * *Scholars Renaissance humanism Greece–Italy relations