The intellectual legacy of Andrew Melville (1545-1622) as a leader of the Renaissance and a promoter of humanism in Scotland is as complex as the man himself. In an effort to reassess Melville’s role in the intellectual life of late sixteenth and early seventeenth century Scotland, this thesis situates him within the broader context of the northern European Renaissance in general and French humanism in particular. A careful and in-depth analysis of Melville’s early years in Scotland, his time in Paris, Poitiers, and Geneva is conducted to determine the ways his intellectual and religious culture shaped his life, relationships, literary productions, and subsequent academic career. In addition, this work places Melville within his vast network of humanist associates in Scotland during his time in Glasgow and St. Andrews and offers new insights into the 1577 <i>nova erectio</i> as well as his other literary compositions. Furthermore, an evaluation has been offered of his humanist associations and writing during his imprisonment in the Tower of London and his years of banishment in Sedan. By thoroughly exploring the elite humanist culture in which he was trained and in which he laboured from his early days in Montrose to his final days in Sedan, a fresh evaluation has been made of his role as a purveyor of the New Learning in Scotland, a promoter of the <i>studia humanitatis </i>of the Renaissance, and a cultivator of <i>bonae litterae</i>. This work also provides a new look at the primary historical source on the life and work of Andrew Melville, namely James Melville’s <i>Autobiography and Diary</i>, as well as an examination of the largely overlooked <i>Melvini epistolae</i>, a collection of Melville’s own correspondence with his nephew and other authors.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:509163 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Holloway, Ernest R. |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=53350 |
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