World History
Erudite and unmatched in his pursuit of scholarly activities, Valla is regarded by many historians to be the outstanding humanist scholar of the 15th century. His criticisms of sacred documents, coupled with his acerbic style and his arrogance, gained him the enmity of fellow humanists and religious officials. Nevertheless he managed to survive inquisitorial investigations and charges of heresy.
The impact of his writings reverberated into the next century. They continued to anger church officials but had a positive influence on humanists such as Erasmus and gained acceptance in Protestant circles. Valla received a humanistic education in the Rome of his birth and was well versed in Greek and classical Latin.
He was familiar with the works of Cicero and Quintilian but preferred the Latin style of the latter. Denied employment in the papal curia, he accepted a position in rhetoric at the university of Pavia. Because of controversy over his critique of Scholastic thought, he resigned after two years.
From there, he moved to the court of King Alfonso the Magnanimous of Naples, at that time a budding center of humanism. Valla was at the king’s Neapolitan court for several years, where he served as secretary and historian to Alfonso. He participated in humanistic discussions and literary disputes while working on a number of his most important treatises.
He moved to Rome at the invitation of the humanist pope Nicholas V in 1448. In Rome he presented the pope with Latin translations of Herodotus and Thucydides, continued his writing, and taught rhetoric. Valla ended his career in the service of Pope Calixtus III.
Several of his works demonstrate the range of his scholarship. On Pleasure, 1431, later amended and retitled On the True and False Good, contrasts Stoic, Christian, and Epicurean views on pleasure. A controversial work when it was written, it continues to arouse disagreement among historians.
His Elegances of the Latin Language extols the virtues of classical Latin and condemns medieval Latin as barbaric in grammar and style and unfit for use. The Elegances influenced the content of Renaissance Latin grammar manuals and helped to shape the nature of the studia humanitatis, the liberal arts curriculum of the Renaissance. It is recognized as a precursor of modern-day linguistic studies.
From the perspective of historical criticism, Valla’s most important treatise is his critique of the Donation of Constantine, a document that was supposedly issued by the Roman emperor Constantine that allegedly transferred temporal authority in the European west to the papacy.
Valla utilized his knowledge of history, geography, and Latin to demonstrate the existence of anachronisms in the document and declared it to be a forgery. He criticized other hallowed documents, including St. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate and the Apostles’ Creed, which, he argued, had not been composed by the apostles. Valla also wrote a history of Alfonso’s father, King Ferdinand of Aragon. Shortly before his death in 1457, he composed an Encomium on St. Thomas Aquinas.
- Leonardo Bruni
Leonardo Bruni Leonardo Bruni was one of the foremost humanists of the early 15th century in Italy. He dedicated himself to a career of studying and writing about classical Greek and Roman culture and drawing lessons from the era of the Roman republic...
- Petrarch (francesco Petrarcha)
Petrarch (Francesco Petrarcha) Petrarch regarded his own era as an age of decadence and darkness. He yearned for a better future and turned to the study of classical antiquity for consolation and intellectual enlightenment. His enthusiasm for antiquity...
- Pico Della Mirandola - Humanist And Philosopher
Pico della Mirandola - Humanist and Philosopher Pico della Mirandola was born to wealth and nobility in Mirandola, Italy, on February 24, 1463. After receiving a humanistic education at Mirandola, he studied canon law at Bologna. Dissatisfied with his...
- Humanism In Europe
Humanism in Europe Humanism originated in 14th-century Europe as a movement to recover the culture of the ancient Greek and Roman pagans. The term derived from the identification of ancient pagan texts as “human†rather than divine like the...
- Latin American Studies
Latin American Studies. This is an essay which gives teachers ideas for teaching about Latin America in the classroom. This includes covering social studies and history. From the site: Social studies textbooks and media often present an incomplete...
World History
Lorenzo Valla - Humanist and Grammarian
 |
| Lorenzo Valla - Humanist and Grammarian |
The impact of his writings reverberated into the next century. They continued to anger church officials but had a positive influence on humanists such as Erasmus and gained acceptance in Protestant circles. Valla received a humanistic education in the Rome of his birth and was well versed in Greek and classical Latin.
He was familiar with the works of Cicero and Quintilian but preferred the Latin style of the latter. Denied employment in the papal curia, he accepted a position in rhetoric at the university of Pavia. Because of controversy over his critique of Scholastic thought, he resigned after two years.
From there, he moved to the court of King Alfonso the Magnanimous of Naples, at that time a budding center of humanism. Valla was at the king’s Neapolitan court for several years, where he served as secretary and historian to Alfonso. He participated in humanistic discussions and literary disputes while working on a number of his most important treatises.
  |   |
He moved to Rome at the invitation of the humanist pope Nicholas V in 1448. In Rome he presented the pope with Latin translations of Herodotus and Thucydides, continued his writing, and taught rhetoric. Valla ended his career in the service of Pope Calixtus III.
Several of his works demonstrate the range of his scholarship. On Pleasure, 1431, later amended and retitled On the True and False Good, contrasts Stoic, Christian, and Epicurean views on pleasure. A controversial work when it was written, it continues to arouse disagreement among historians.
His Elegances of the Latin Language extols the virtues of classical Latin and condemns medieval Latin as barbaric in grammar and style and unfit for use. The Elegances influenced the content of Renaissance Latin grammar manuals and helped to shape the nature of the studia humanitatis, the liberal arts curriculum of the Renaissance. It is recognized as a precursor of modern-day linguistic studies.
From the perspective of historical criticism, Valla’s most important treatise is his critique of the Donation of Constantine, a document that was supposedly issued by the Roman emperor Constantine that allegedly transferred temporal authority in the European west to the papacy.
Valla utilized his knowledge of history, geography, and Latin to demonstrate the existence of anachronisms in the document and declared it to be a forgery. He criticized other hallowed documents, including St. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate and the Apostles’ Creed, which, he argued, had not been composed by the apostles. Valla also wrote a history of Alfonso’s father, King Ferdinand of Aragon. Shortly before his death in 1457, he composed an Encomium on St. Thomas Aquinas.
- Leonardo Bruni
Leonardo Bruni Leonardo Bruni was one of the foremost humanists of the early 15th century in Italy. He dedicated himself to a career of studying and writing about classical Greek and Roman culture and drawing lessons from the era of the Roman republic...
- Petrarch (francesco Petrarcha)
Petrarch (Francesco Petrarcha) Petrarch regarded his own era as an age of decadence and darkness. He yearned for a better future and turned to the study of classical antiquity for consolation and intellectual enlightenment. His enthusiasm for antiquity...
- Pico Della Mirandola - Humanist And Philosopher
Pico della Mirandola - Humanist and Philosopher Pico della Mirandola was born to wealth and nobility in Mirandola, Italy, on February 24, 1463. After receiving a humanistic education at Mirandola, he studied canon law at Bologna. Dissatisfied with his...
- Humanism In Europe
Humanism in Europe Humanism originated in 14th-century Europe as a movement to recover the culture of the ancient Greek and Roman pagans. The term derived from the identification of ancient pagan texts as “human†rather than divine like the...
- Latin American Studies
Latin American Studies. This is an essay which gives teachers ideas for teaching about Latin America in the classroom. This includes covering social studies and history. From the site: Social studies textbooks and media often present an incomplete...