'Nationis Teutonicae' - the German Nation and the Holy Roman Empire through the eyes of an Italian humanist

摘要

Inquiry into the German part of the Holy Roman Empire through the eyes of an Italian humanist, Enea Silvio Piccolomini. Two of Piccolomini's writings are considered, the 'Pentalogus' (written at the court of German King Frederick III) and the 'Germania' (written shortly before Piccolomini was elected pope). The writings reflect the struggles of the German King/Emperor to strengthen his power over the Holy Roman Empire, both in military and ecclesiastical matters. More broadly, they offer the reader a highly personal account of the major events in fifteenth-century Europe, such as the fall of Constantinople and the Church's attempts to unite all of Christendom during the Conciliar Movement.