The Latin translation of Dante and a commentary dedicated to King Sigismund (1417). Giovanni da Serravalle’s commenting strategies

Abstract

The present article deals with the Dante Codex in the Archdiocesan Library of Eger, which contains the complete Latin translation of the Commedia by Giovanni da Serravalle (c. 1350–1445), Bishop of Fermo, with his commentary on the Inferno, both of which were written during the Council of Constance. First, I will examine the simplistic and negative opinions that have been invoked to dismiss the translation, the commentary, and the codex itself as insignificant from various points of view. I will also investigate why the book failed to achieve its intended purpose, i.e., to provide a useful tool for those who did not know the Italian vernacular but had studied Latin grammar, such as 'Germans, Gauls, English, Czechs, Hungarians, Slavs, Poles, Hispanics, Portuguese, Castilians, etc.'—in making Dante's poetry accessible and promoting the moral and theological teachings of the 'theologian poet'.