Introduction. Transatlantic Crossroads – Portuguese Humanism and the Republic of Letters

Abstract

The expansion of the Lusitanian Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries-combined with inventions in the fields of transportation, communication and printing-was a cornerstone of a new age of globalization. In the course of the 16th century, Portuguese intellectuals inserted themselves into the international humanistic Republic of Letters and its networks. The chapter focuses on the exchange of knowledge that took place between Portuguese intellectuals and the Republic of Letters in the early-modern period. It deals with the production of Portuguese literature in the framework of the international Republic of Letters. The contributors, Onesimo Almeida, Cristovao Marinheiro, Marilia dos Santos Lopes, and Guiseppe Marcocci, mainly elaborate on the role the discoveries played in the production of knowledge. Keywords:Lusitanian Empire; Portuguese intellectuals; Republic of Letters