Luka Špoljarić, Central European University, Budapest
While the overviews of Dalmatian humanism focus mainly on its literary aspect, the present paper will turn to the genesis of a social phenomenon. It will analyze key elements in the process of diffusion of humanist ideas into the region and within it, as well as the gradual formation of a group identity among the Dalmatian intellectuals. In order to establish this framework the paper will necessarily draw on previous case studies, but particular attention will be given to the humanist manuscripts of Dalmatian provenance located in the British Library and the Bodleian, because most of these Dalmatian MSs have not been analyzed yet. The paper will also consider the changing role of humanism in Dalmatia in the course of the fifteenth century, interpreting it within the larger context of the history of European Renaissance humanism.