Becoming a Politician in the Early Modern World: Philosophy and Eloquence in the Academy of Zamość (1594-1627) June 7th

Guest lecture takes place at 17:30 on Wednesday June 7th in room 158.

Prof. Valentina Lepri will present:

Becoming a Politician in the Early Modern World: Philosophy and Eloquence in the Academy of Zamość (1594-1627)

The Academy of Zamość was one the most ambitious and fascinating educational projects within the scenario of the early modern European schools.

Founded in 1595 by the powerful Polish chancellor, Jan Zamoyski, this Academy was set up with a very precise mission: to train the Polish elite for political life, and its own printshop was conceived as a crucial instrument for accomplishing this aim.

My seminar will cast light on the didactic orientation and the academic interests of the school, focusing the attention on the editorial production in the Academy in the early years of its life (1594-1627). These volumes provide information on its internal organisation for the dissemination of knowledge. Even more importantly, the treasure of books in Zamość represents an ideal observatory from which to survey how, in the modern age, Aristotelian political theories came into contact with more modern visions of politics.