Giacomo Zabarella, the Author of a Dedication to King Stephen Báthory

Abstract

In 1577, Stefan Báthory King of Poland decided to create a college in Krakow modelled on the royal college in Paris. To this end, he invited eminent foreign scholars to lecture there. One of them was Paduan philosopher and logician Giacomo Zabarella (1533−1589). He rejected the king’s generous offer, but dedicated to him his own work Opera logica (1578). This fact has been variously described in European historiography due to an erroneous indication given by one biographer. the present article is an introduction to the edition of the dedication and presents its historical and historiographical context. It opens with a presentation of Giacomo Zabarella’s life and work and his exceptional position in the academic world of the era. Next, the historical context of Báthory’s invitation and its historiography are discussed. the third section contains socio-economic aspects of the invitation and Zabarella’s refusal as well as a cultural and literary context of his dedication. A comparison with similar literary works of the epoch allows to understand its panegyrical character and is supplemented with a presentation of Zabarella’s Italian epigram in praise of King Stephen along with its English translation.

Keywords

• giacomo zabarella (1533–1589)
• king stefan báthory
• cameracense college
• 16th century dedications and epigrams