Overview

Higher Education in Constantinople in the Fifteenth Century explores the intellectual life and educational institutions of fifteenth-century Constantinople, a period often overlooked in the history of Byzantine scholarship. While the twilight of the empire is frequently associated with decline, this book demonstrates that it was, in fact, a time of vibrant intellectual activity, laying crucial groundwork for the Renaissance in the West. Drawing on a wide array of primary sources—including manuscripts, codices, letters, and treatises—this book reconstructs the networks of teachers and students, the transmission of Classical Greek texts, and the methods of instruction that defined higher education in late Byzantium. It presents the cultural landscape of the final Byzantine century as a dynamic space of learning where Classical heritage was not merely preserved but reinterpreted and reactivated in a world on the brink of transformation. This volume will appeal to scholars of Byzantine, Medieval, and Classical Studies, as well as historians of education and intellectual history. Its interdisciplinary approach offers fresh insights to paleographers, codicologists, and special collections professionals, while its broader narrative speaks to anyone interested in the pivotal cultural exchanges between East and West that helped shape modern Europe. This is the first comprehensive account of Byzantine higher education during this era, illuminating a missing link in the story of the Renaissance and the survival of Hellenic knowledge.

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9781032760131

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Elias Petrou is Assistant Professor and Librarian for Classical, Medieval, and Modern Greek Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A historian and paleographer, his research focuses on the history and literature of the late medieval and early modern Greek world, with particular emphasis on Byzantine intellectual traditions. He holds a PhD from the University of Ioannina, Greece, and has held academic and research appointments at UCLA, UC Irvine, and the University of Vienna. His work explores the intersections of history, literature, and manuscript culture in the Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods.

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