Sixteenth-century Europe Research Articles

Non-living naturalia in Clusius's correspondence, Part II. Minerals, strange stones, fossils and earths as objects of exchange in the respublica litteraria around Clusius

AbstractCarolus Clusius (Charles de l’Écluse, 1526–1609), one of the most renowned naturalists of sixteenth-century Europe, was a versatile man of letters. One of his fields of interest neglected in scholarship is his attitude and activities around what was called fossilia at that time, and what can today be called non-living naturalia: metals, gems, various strange “stones”, fossils or medicinal earths. Such naturalia appear several times in his correspondence. This two-part study reviews how Clusius took part in the collecting, exchange and discussions about these inorganic objects in the European respublica litteraria. He could even be involved in geological or palaeontological issues of his age. The investigation not only throws light on the activities of Clusius and some of his correspondents, but also taps into the broader topic of communication and exchange in the Literary Republic of the time, and may even contribute to the history of the natural sciences in the period. Some of the non-living naturalia Clusius was interested in (like “Saint Ladislaus's coin” or the medicinal earth of Tokaj) could be found in Hungary and he looked for them by way of friends in that region (it is known that one of his most important patrons was the Hungarian aristocrat Boldizsár Batthyány). For reasons of space, the present study has been published in two parts: Sections 1–3 appeared in the previous issue, while Sections 4–7 are published in this one. A map to the entire study is included at the end of the present part.

Locating the Hand and Sense of Touch in Sixteenth-Century Surgical Writings of Ambrose Paré and Hans von Gersdorff

Objective: This article offers two case studies of sixteenth-century surgical approaches to the hand and definitions of the sense of touch in works by Frenchman Ambrose Paré and German Hans von Gersdorff. 
 Method: Through comparative analysis, this article studies references to and treatments of hand ailments in the sixteenth-century surgical manuals printed by Ambrose Paré and Hans von Gersdorff. Research was conducted between 2012-2014, updated in 2023, and focuses specifically on digital versions of Ambrose Paré’s vernacular French “Ten Books of Surgery” collected in his Opera Omnia (1575) held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France and Hans von Gersdorff’s Feldtbuch der Wundartzney (1517) held at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
 Results: The human hand in the sixteenth century was both a natural and symbolic object whereby the hand offered individuals the immediacy of the sense of touch, established the boundary between those that exercised their hands (manual practitioners), and those who abstained from manual labor in favor of intellectual pursuits (theoreticians). Through discussions of limb amputation, Ambrose Paré located the sense of touch in the soul and not an amputated limb. In contrast, Hans von Gersdorff located the sense of touch in the hand itself, which retained a special power after amputation. 
 Conclusion: The increased reliance on dissection and anatomy, visual arts, personal experience, and publishing in sixteenth-century Europe offers historians a series of divergent surgical rituals and interpretations of the body, specifically the hand and sense of touch. Contemporary theories of embodied cognition mirror the problem of the location of the sense of touch in the mind or in the organ itself found in Paré and Gersorff’s writings.

King Arthur of England, count of Habsburg: the use of Arthurian imagery in Habsburg diplomacy

Abstract Arthurian symbolism utilized by King Henry VIII in Habsburg diplomacy was a tribute to his esteemed mythic forefather, King Arthur, who commanded great respect from countless individuals, not least his imperial cousins. This article proposes that the King Arthur pageant at the 1522 London entry of Charles V was part of Henry’s broader use of Arthuriana in Habsburg political theatre, inspired by Maximilian I’s pseudo-ancestry. This article provides a new insight into Henry’s attempts to engage in the power politics of early sixteenth-century Europe and the use of British history in forging connections with his political rival.

Antiquarianism or Taḥqīq? Guillaume Postel’s Reading of Abu’l-Fidā’s Taqwīm al-Buldān

Abstract This paper retraces Guillaume Postel’s (1510–1581) initial acquisition of a copy of Taqwīm al-Buldān (The Arrangement of Countries), a geographical treatise of the historian and geographer Abu’l-Fidā (672/1273–732/1331) and offers an analysis of his reading of the text through a careful examination of the manuscript itself, hitherto ignored by scholarship. After the introduction and the examination of the manuscript, I will discuss the use Postel made of the Arabic geography in his cosmographical writings advancing the hypothesis that Postel’s cosmography somehow shares a similar approach to Abu’l-Fidā with respect to the concept of “tradition.” Finally, by offering an analysis of a parallel to Postel’s appropriation of Taqwīm al-Buldān, i.e., Hajji Ahmed’s cordiform map, I will propose a new way to re-contextualize the surge of cosmographical works in sixteenth-century Europe, as, at least in part, a product of post-Mongol taḥqīq.

Life in the Grotto: Montaigne & the Meaning of Posthumanism

ABSTRACT This article delineates two principles of the grotesque in Renaissance visual art, texts, and garden grottoes, one more superficial and one more radical. In sixteenth-century Europe, the latter mode finds its most striking manifestation in the Essays (1580–95) of Michel de Montaigne. The Essays offer a paradigm for grotesque thinking, one that crucially inflects contemporary ideas on the potentialities, and aporias, of posthumanist theory, life, and ethics. Grotesque ornaments, garden grottoes, and the essay à la Montaigne are here reread as provocative object lessons for bringing into focus the difference between a superficial and a constitutive posthumanism still to come.

Non-living naturalia in Clusius's correspondence, Part I. Clusius's collection and Cromer's subterranean adventures

AbstractCarolus Clusius (Charles de l’Écluse, 1526–1609), one of the most renowned naturalists of sixteenth-century Europe, was a versatile man of letters. One of his fields of interest neglected in scholarship is his attitude and activities around what was called fossilia at that time, and what can today be called non-living naturalia: metals, gems, various strange „stones”, fossils, medicinal earths. Such naturalia appear several times in his correspondence: this study reviews how Clusius took part in the collecting, exchange and discussions about these inorganic objects in the European respublica litteraria. He could even be involved in geological or palaeontological issues of his age. The investigation will not only throw light on the activities of Clusius and some of his correspondents, but also taps into to the broader topic of communication and exchange in the Literary Republic of the time, and may even contribute to the history of the natural sciences in the period. Some of the non-living naturalia Clusius was interested in (like „Saint Ladislaus's coin” or the medicinal earth of Tokaj) could be found in Hungary and he looked for them by way of friends in that region (it is known that one of his most important patrons was the Hungarian aristocrat Boldizsár Batthyány). For reasons of space, the study will be published in two parts: Sections 1–3 can be read in this issue, while Sections 4–7 will be published in the next.

Food and Power in Sixteenth-Century Ireland: Studying Household Accounts from Dublin Castle

AbstractStudying the food practices of one vast and prominent Irish household reveals a complex history of consumption, status, and power in sixteenth-century Europe. This article is a close analysis of the little studied but unusually detailed household accounts of William Fitzwilliam, lord deputy of Ireland during 1572–5 and 1588–94. It first discusses how early modern historians have probed similar records and how these examples can be interpreted. The following sections examine the specific foods consumed at Dublin Castle and the high cost, distinctive rhythms, and deep symbolism of grand-scale dining at the viceroy's primary residence. This study of the everyday life of one of the most powerful officeholders in England and Ireland offers fresh perspectives on the region's political history. It also adds to the burgeoning study of Irish consumption, showing that the country was connected to continental developments. More than an Irish story, this article offers evidence of Europe-wide changes, like the elaboration of courtly cuisine and the shifting associations of foodstuffs, and how these changes were filtered through local circumstances. It suggests too how historians can make productive use of household accounts, sources well suited to comparison and combination with other disciplinary approaches.

Fine-Tuning a Global History of Music Theory: Divergences, Zhu Zaiyu, and Music-Theoretical Instruments

AbstractThe issue of equal temperament offers an object lesson in the challenges of the new global history of music theory: Twelve-tone equal temperament was mathematically formulated at almost the same time in Ming-dynasty China and sixteenth-century Europe. While the old debate got stuck on questions of dates and cultural rivalries, recent work in comparative humanities, especially Kuriyama (2002), opens up new avenues. His concept of “divergence” is applied to the specific “music-theoretical instruments” in which Chinese and European theories of tuning manifested themselves in sound. Zhu Zaiyu’s pathbreaking 1584 theory is reexamined specifically from this angle: He credits the qin (zither) for holding knowledge that the 12 lü, the traditional Chinese pitch-pipes, could not convey. Zhu’s example—and the concept of “divergence”—offers ways forward for a new, materially oriented, global history of music theory.

Tracing the introduction history of the tulip that went wild (Tulipa sylvestris) in sixteenth-century Europe

Tulipa sylvestris, commonly called the “wild tulip”, was introduced from the Mediterranean to northern Europe in the sixteenth century and became widely naturalized. Research has focused on tulips that came from the Ottoman Empire, but the introduction path of this native European, early ornamental tulip is unclear, and so is its taxonomic status: three subspecies are provisionally accepted, sometimes treated as species. Here we elucidate the history of introduction of T. sylvestris and discuss its taxonomy based on our historical findings. The first bulbs came from Bologna (northern Italy) and Montpellier (southern France) in the 1550–1570 s. Several renowned botanists were involved in their introduction, namely Gessner, Wieland, Aldrovandi, De Lobel, Clusius, and Dodoens. There were various introduction routes, including one from Spain which was apparently unsuccessful. The strong sixteenth-century Flemish botanical network facilitated the introduction and naturalization of T. sylvestris across Europe. Based on the latest tulip taxonomy, the diploid subspecies australis is native in the Mediterranean, and the tetraploid sylvestris is naturalized over Europe, but our historical findings show that both sylvestris and australis were introduced to northern Europe. This underlines the need to reconsider the taxonomic status of T. sylvestris, highlighting the importance of botanical history in understanding the complex taxonomy of naturalized cultivated plants.

Guidi, Andrea. Books, People, and Military Thought: Machiavelli’s Art of War and the Fortune of the Militia in Sixteenth-Century Florence and Europe.

Guidi, Andrea. Books, People, and Military Thought: Machiavelli’s Art of War and the Fortune of the Militia in Sixteenth-Century Florence and Europe.

Anti-libertine and anti-anarchist contemporary polemics: Catholics and Libertarians …

The words “libertine”, “libertinage”, “libertinism”, since their appearance in sixteenth century Europe, have mainly targeted men and women, forms of behaviour, ways of acting, speaking and thinking, characterised by a misuse of freedom. Initially “libertinage” or “libertinism” was an accusation against the exercise of undue liberties, deemed negative, excessive and deleterious, in any area of human action, religious and moral, but also political and indeed in any social relation that require...

Andrea Guidi, Books, People, and Military Thought. Machiavelli’s Art of War and the Fortune of the Militia in Sixteenth-Century Florence and Europe

Andrea Guidi, Books, People, and Military Thought. Machiavelli’s Art of War and the Fortune of the Militia in Sixteenth-Century Florence and Europe

The Consilia by Learned Physicians Pietro Andrea Mattioli and Francesco Partini: Dialectic Relations between Doctrine, Empirical Knowledge and Use of the Senses in Sixteenth-century Europe.

SummaryThe present article focuses on the medical practice of Pietro Andrea Mattioli from Siena and Francesco Partini from Rovereto (Trent), learned physicians who worked for the Habsburg courts in the second half of the sixteenth century. They paid particular attention to the body signs of disease and described them in detail through the senses of sight, touch, smell and taste. Such a method allowed them to formulate a plausible diagnosis, which concerned not only a general humoral imbalance but also often a specific organ. Furthermore, the empirical data they observed were interpreted in the light of Galenic medicine, a fluid and adaptable system, capable of including relatively new elements. Partini and Mattioli’s medical consultations reveal peculiar aspects of body examination and offer the opportunity both to seize the inventiveness of Galenic medicine and to explore the complex relationship between learned physicians and the written medical tradition.

Circulation and Contacts in Sixteenth Century New Cartography: Spain, Portugal and Italy

Cartographic information was highly coveted in sixteenth century Europe, especially when it came from Portugal or Spain. Maps and nautical charts produced in the Iberian Peninsula were loaded with sensitive information about the new lands discovered, which made them the object of desire of rival or curious powers. Faced with this, the Spanish and Portuguese institutions tried to limit the excessive dispersion of cartographic material, using several legislative instruments. In theory, the circulation of cartographic information beyond Iberian imperial boundaries was strictly controlled, so the possibility of leakages or exchanges seemed very unlikely. In practice, both leaks and contact occurred constantly. The objective of this article is to illustrate this idea from the identification and analysis of concrete historical events in which the circulation of cartographic information took place. The chronological framework chosen is the sixteenth century, with Spain, Portugal and Italy as the main sites.

“But Who Can Assure Himselfe Not To Be Deceived in Matters Concerning Spirits?” Discernment as Antidemonology in Late Sixteenth-Century Europe

“But Who Can Assure Himselfe Not To Be Deceived in Matters Concerning Spirits?” Discernment as Antidemonology in Late Sixteenth-Century Europe

POLITICAL BOUNDARIES AND TERRITORIAL IDENTITY IN EARLY MODERN CENTRAL EUROPE: THE WESTERN FRONTIER OF TRANSYLVANIA DURING THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

The last decades have witnessed an increased interest in the research of territorial delimitations in late medieval and early modern Europe. A significant part of the academic debate has been focused on identifying and defining the process of transition from medieval frontiers, perceived as vague areas of contact, to modern linear borders. The aim of this article is to analyse the organization of the western confines of the Transylvanian Principality during the decades in which this state was formed, from the Ottoman conquest of Buda (1541) until the ratification of the Speyer Peace Treaty (1571). Throughout this period, the territorial delimitation of Transylvania from the Ottoman Empire and Habsburg Hungary was an ongoing process, marked by both military confrontations and diplomatic negotiations. Through a critical reassessment of the most relevant Romanian and Hungarian literature on this complex subject and the analysis of new data from official and narrative contemporary sources, I have tried to identify which were the most important political and military events that shaped the western borderlands of Transylvania. A fundamental objective of my research is to provide an accurate definition for the western region of the Transylvanian Principality, contributing thus to the general debate on the nature of frontiers/borders in sixteenth century Europe.

The Lament of the Melons

Abstract Regimens advising on the management of the non-naturals constituted a significant proportion of the vernacular medical texts in sixteenth and seventeenth century Europe. Scholars however are divided as to the extent to which such medical advice was familiar to the majority of the population. This article shows that cheap Italian 8vo song pamphlets, sung in the streets and sold by cantastorie and peddlers, provide evidence for the widespread circulation of preventive medical advice. Street singers were not deliberately transmitting medical knowledge but assumed it was already common knowledge, a shared discourse with which they could entertain their publics. The article concludes with a brief exploration of whether similar texts communicated medical ideas in France and England.

Logic, geometry and visualisation of the body in Acquapendente’s rediscovered Methodus anatomica (1579)

AbstractThe article provides the first description and analysis of the recently rediscovered manuscript titled Methodus anatomica by Girolamo Fabrici da Acquapendente (1533–1619). Acquapendente was one of the most important anatomists in late sixteenth-century Europe and played an instrumental role as Harvey’s teacher in Padua towards the latter’s discovery of the circulation of the blood. The manuscript provides first-hand testimony as to how anatomy was administered in Padua in the post-Vesalian era and sheds light on a number of otherwise unknown aspects of the development of the anatomical method. Chiefly among these is the attention devoted by Acquapendente to historia, as a way to order sensory data in a consistent way, which draws widely from the geometrical method and from the contemporary debate on the discretisation of continuous quantities.

A Response to Philip Benedict’s ‘Of Church Orders and Postmodernism’

In this discussion of BMGN – Low Countries Historical Review Philip Benedict reviewed Jesse Spohnholz’s book, The Convent of Wesel: The Event That Never Was and the Invention of Tradition (Cambridge 2017). While Benedict praises Spohnholz’s research and contributions as they pertain to the religious history of sixteenthcentury Europe, he criticizes Spohnholz for borrowing from scholarship associated with the ‘archival turn’ and postmodernist critiques of constructivist empiricism. In this response, Spohnholz defends his approach and its relevance for questions about writing the history of the Reformation in the twenty-first century. Spohnholz stresses the shared historical and methodological perspectives between himself and Benedict (and others), comments on the historical significance of his study, and clarifies the book’s intended audiences.

Ropes and Knots: Architectural Emulation in Fifteenth- and Early Sixteenth-Century Central Europe and the Origins of Architecture

Previous articleNext article No AccessRopes and Knots: Architectural Emulation in Fifteenth- and Early Sixteenth-Century Central Europe and the Origins of ArchitectureMarek WalczakMarek Walczak Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Source Volume 40, Number 3Spring 2021 Sponsored by the Bard Graduate Center, New York Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/714711 Views: 103Total views on this site © 2021 by Bard Graduate Center. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.