In the ХV century, the love of literature is inseparable from the patriotism and the pride of the Florentine. In the first half in Florence lives and works Leonardo Bruni, also known as Leonardo Arentino, translator of Aristotle, Plato, Demosthenes and Plutarch. He inherits his teacher, Collucio Salutti, to the prestigious post of Chancellor of the Florentine Republic. Brunei, in 12 books, traces the history of Florence until 1402 and saturates the pages of his "Laudatio florentinae urbis" with a fervent patriotism. Later, during the period 1454-1459, Poggio Bracholini devoted himself to describing the wars that led his correspondents during the period 1350-1455 in his "History of the Florentine People". According to Procachi, such works give Florentine culture an "imperialist" dimension and increase its ability to spread and possess a pulling power. At the time of Pope Nicholas V in Rome, the Vatican Library was established. In Rome, Julio Pomponio Leto founded an Academy whose constituent part is Platina , which has an extremely classic look. Intellectuals who quickly create a prominence in Rome are suspected, and reasonably, that they are conspiring against the pope." It is known that among them are Pomponio Leto - the most representative figure in the circle of members of the Roman Academy, and Bartolomeo Platina, who was subsequently appointed by Pope Sixt IV as the director of the Vatican Library.

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Another famous Italian humanist, Flavio Biondo, an apostolic secretary and author of highly prized archaeological works, has traced in 32 books the history of Italy from the fall of the empire to his time. This historian is very diligent in checking and criticizing the sources from which he gets information. According to Owet, the outcome of his efforts is not important, the more importantly the case is that the right method is found. In addition, the general concept of the history of Italy shows a profound change: for the humanists, the imperial dignity, which still boasts the German rulers, is no longer regarded, as in the Middle Ages, as a legitimate continuation of the Roman Empire. According to them, the greatness of Rome ends with the Republic, and the establishment of the Empire marks the beginning of the decline. In Naples, Antonio Beckelli, nicknamed Panormita, a mediocre humanist, glorified mostly by a collection of obscene epigrams, establishes an Academy on his own initiative . But the man who really binds his fate to it and inherits Becadel is Giovanni Montano , who has built his impressive reputation as a Latin poet mostly with his collection of Love Poems and his poem "About the Garden of Hesperides". In the period 1445-1446, Lorenzo Valla (1405-1457) narrates in three books about the events that fed the period of the reign in Naples to Ferdinand Aragonski. Milan, born in Pavo, but settled in Milan, is an Italian humanist, Pierre Candido Decembrio, who traces the life of Filippo Maria Visconti and writes a biography of Francesco Sforza. French literary historian Henri Ovet admits that the historians of this age (XV century) are not flawless.In their quest to emulate Titus Livius, Salusty and Sweetwith, they dress their characters with Roman robes, change the look of the age they are claiming to contribute and allow disturbing anachronisms. He discovers the same trend in oratory exercises and even in the letters of the humanists.

Their individual character is marked by intrusive traits that stand out in memoirs and pamphlets such as those of Enei Silvius - who became a Pope under the name of Pius II in 1458 - because his narrative about the Basel fair is equally a party propaganda work and a history page. In the seventeenth century, the prestige of philology was quickly strengthened. Philology is the foundation and key to any knowledge, the critical edition is the condition for reading every text. A classic example of this new method and style of work of the humanists is undoubtedly Lorenzo Valla (1405-1457). This proof of Valla is based entirely on elements of a textual and philological nature. From this combination of the philological method to the category of historicality, the mindset, wisdom and tolerance, which will reach the greatest finality and height in the great figure of Erasmus Rotterdam - an expression of the philological approach and tolerance, which has been studied precisely by Humanism. According to Frenchman Henri Hovet, the weakness of the 15th century civilization, that humanism, by making the minds more sophisticated, fails to give force to the characters. It is at this moment that literature becomes a profession for many; so for many centuries the literary has no other source of self-esteem except the generous magnificence of the grandchildren, serving as a counselor, or as an ambassador, or as a tireless publisher of glory, for which even the tiniest tyrants have thirsty: everyone is thinking of Achilles and is looking for his Homer. The rise of the authority of philology is naturally associated with the appearance of the first printed works in Italy. He testified that the prints of the three great classics of Italian literature (Dante, Petrarka and Bocacho) abound among the printed books published by Italian printers in 1470-1472. "Thus, in the 15th century, Gutenberg's" revolutionary "discovery contributed to reinforce the hegemony of Florentine culture.

PART ONE - The spiritual life in Italy in the 15th century