Alberto Fortis facts for kids
Alberto Fortis (1741–1803) was an Italian writer, a person who studied nature (a naturalist), and a mapmaker (a cartographer). He was a citizen of the Republic of Venice, an old Italian state.
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Who Was Alberto Fortis?
His Early Life and Travels
Alberto Fortis was born in Padua, Italy, in November 1741. His real name was Giovanni Battista Fortis, but he used Alberto as his religious name. He traveled a lot, especially in a region called Venetian Dalmatia. This area is now part of Croatia.
His most famous book is Viaggio in Dalmazia, which means "Journey to Dalmatia." It was first published in 1774. This book helped many people in Europe learn about the culture of Dalmatia.
Discovering the Morlachs
A big part of Fortis's book was about a historical region called Morlachia. This area was named after the Morlachs, a group of people who lived there. Fortis wrote that the Morlachs kept their old customs and traditional clothes. He noted they used a musical instrument called the gusle and sang epic songs.
Fortis also published some of their songs. He observed that the Morlachs spoke a Slavic language. They called themselves “Vlachs,” but Fortis believed they were not related to the Latin-speaking Vlachs.
The Story of Hasanaginica
In his book, Fortis shared a special folk ballad called "Hasanaginica." This was a very important discovery. It helped bring the culture of the Dalmatian hinterlands (the inland areas) to the attention of Europe. This ballad became a famous example of folk stories from the region.
What is Morlachism?
Fortis's descriptions of the Morlachs were translated into French, English, and German. This made the Morlachs well-known across Europe. It even started a new literary movement called Morlachism. This movement focused on the idea of simple, traditional life, which was popular during the time of Romanticism.
However, not everyone agreed with Fortis. A Croatian writer named Ivan Lovrić said that Fortis had made some mistakes in his book. Lovrić tried to correct these errors in his own writings.
Later Life and Important Works
In 1795, Alberto Fortis was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society in London. This was a great honor for him. He passed away in Bologna, Italy, on October 21, 1803.
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