From Tyrant to Philosopher-King
A Literary History of Alexander the Great in Medieval and Early Modern England
By (author) Charles Russell Stone
This book explores the investigation of Latin and Greek histories of Alexander in twelfth- to seventeenth-century England and the radical evolution of a man still abhorred and imitated today.
Since his death in Babylon in 323 BC, Alexander the Great has inspired an unparalleled legacy founded on both histories and legends. From ancient Alexandria to twentieth-century America, and from politics to popular entertainment, he has remained a source of fascination and debate. Today our conception of Alexander rests upon two Roman inventions of history. The first, that of a bloodthirsty tyrant corrupted by Persian decadence, was recovered in medieval monasteries and thrived for centuries, until the second, which viewed Alexander as an enlightened ruler and the head of a harmonious global empire, flourished in the age of humanism. From this clash of intellectual movements arose our modern debates over Alexander as either a madman or a philosopher-king, the epitome of corruption or of ideal government. This book explores the investigation of Latin and Greek histories of Alexander in twelfth- to seventeenth-century England and the radical evolution of a man still abhorred and imitated today.
Introduction Part One. English Monasticism and the Latin Alexander Chapter 1. London, British Library, MS Royal, 13. A. i: Contexts in Anglo-Saxon England Chapter 2. London, British Library, MS Royal, 13. A. i: Texts Chapter 3. The Benedictines and Alexander in the Twelfth Century Part Two. Alexander and the Education of Kings Chapter 4. From Monasticism to Scholasticism Chapter 5. Moral Gower and the Rejection of Alexander Part Three. English Humanism and the Greek Alexander Chapter 6. Duke Humfreys Alexander: Lydgate and Plutarch Chapter 7. Royal Libraries and the Lumley Collection Epilogue, 1612
- By (author) Charles Russell Stone
Other Titles in this Series
Eclipse of Empire?
Perceptions of the Western Empire and its Rulers in Late-Medieval France
Volume 1
Jerusalem in the Alps
The Sacro Monte of Varallo and the Sanctuaries of North-Western Italy
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Guests, Strangers, Aliens, Enemies
Ambiguities of Hospitality in the Middle Ages, c. 1000-1350
Volume 45
Pregnancy and Childbirth in the Premodern World
European and Middle Eastern Cultures, from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance
Volume 36
The Presence of Medieval English Literature
Studies at the Interface of History, Author, and Text in a Selection of Middle English Literary Landmarks
Volume 14
Visions of Unity after the Visigoths
Early Iberian Latin Chronicles and the Mediterranean World
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Visions of Medieval History in North America and Europe
Studies on Cultural Identity and Power
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King John’s Delegation to the Almohad Court (1212)
Medieval Interreligious Interactions and Modern Historiography
Volume 23
A Renaissance Baron and his Possessions
Paolo Giordano I Orsini, Duke of Bracciano (1541-1585)
Volume 15
Victorine Restoration
Essays on Hugh of St Victor, Richard of St Victor, and Thomas Gallus
Volume 39
Writing History in Medieval Poland
Bishop Vincentius of Cracow and the 'Chronica Polonorum'
Volume 28
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