Michael Tarchaniota Marullus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Tarchaniota Marullus
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Portrait of Michael Marullus by Sandro Botticelli in about 1496.
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| Born | Μιχαήλ Μάρουλλος Ταρχανειώτης c. 1458 Constantinople or Despotate of the Morea |
| Died | 10 April 1500 (aged 41–42) Volterra, Republic of Florence |
| Occupation | Poet, soldier, humanist |
| Literary movement | Italian Renaissance |
| Spouse |
Alessandra Scala
(m. 1494–1500) |
Michael Tarchaniota Marullus (born around 1458 – died April 10, 1500) was a fascinating person from the Renaissance period. He was a Greek scholar, a poet who wrote in Latin, a humanist, and even a soldier. Humanists were people who studied and valued human achievements and classical learning.
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Who Was Michael Marullus?
Michael Tarchaniota Marullus came from a Greek family. We don't know all the details about his early life. He was born around 1458, either in Constantinople or near the ancient city of Sparta in Greece. His parents were Manoli Marulo and Euphrosyne Tarchaneiotissa. The name Tarchaniotes belonged to a noble family from the Byzantine Empire.
Why Did His Family Leave Greece?
Both of Marullus' parents were Greek exiles. This means they had to leave their home. They fled from Constantinople in 1453 when the city was taken over by the Ottoman Turks. This event is known as the Fall of Constantinople.
Due to the Ottoman Empire expanding in the 1460s, Michael and his parents moved to the Republic of Ragusa (modern-day Dubrovnik). He spent his first few years there. After that, his family traveled to Italy.
Where Did Marullus Study and Travel?
Marullus received his education in Italy, in a city called Ancona. He might have also studied in Venice and Padua. He traveled a lot, moving from city to city. He wrote Latin poems and strongly supported the idea of a crusade, which was a military campaign, against the Ottoman Turks.
In the 1470s, he even fought as a soldier called a Stratioti against the Turks in the Crimea. He wanted to free his homeland from their rule. He was ready to fight and even teamed up with the king of France, who was planning a crusade. In Italy, he served under a cavalry captain named Nicholas Rolla.
How Did He Connect with Important People?
Through his poetry, Marullus met many important people of his time. These included popes, kings, and members of the powerful Medici family in Florence. In 1494, he married Alessandra Scala in Florence. She was a very educated woman and the daughter of a famous scholar named Bartolomeo Scala.
How Did Marullus Die?
On April 10, 1500, Marullus was visiting a scholar named Raffaello Maffei in Volterra. He was riding his horse, wearing his full armor, to join an army fighting against Cesare Borgia. Sadly, he and his horse drowned in the Cecina River near Volterra. He was about 41 or 42 years old.
What Did Marullus Write?
Marullus wrote many different poems. He created a large collection of short, witty poems called epigrams, which filled four books. Some of his best love poems were later used by other poets, like the French poet Pierre de Ronsard.
He also wrote a collection of hymns called Hymni naturales. In these hymns, he celebrated the ancient Greek gods, known as the Olympian pantheon. He started a work called Institutiones principales, which was about how to educate princes, but he never finished it.
Marullus was a big fan of the Roman philosopher and poet Lucretius. He suggested some important changes to Lucretius's writings, but these were not published until 1513.
How Can We Read His Works Today?
All of Marullus's collected works, known as opera omnia, were first put together and edited by Alessandro Perosa in 1951. His Hymnes and Institutiones have been translated into other languages. Otto Schönberger translated both works into German. The Hymnes were also translated into Italian by Donatella Coppini and into French by Jacques Chomarat.
In 2012, the first English translation of Marullus’ poetry was published by Charles Fantazzi.
Images for kids
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Portrait of Michael Marullus by Sandro Botticelli in about 1496.
See also
