Medieval Latin

Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin
	Carmina Cantabrigiensia, Medieval Latin manuscript
Native to	Many small states
Region	Most of Europe
Era	Developed from Late Latin between 4th and 10th centuries; replaced by Renaissance Latin from the 14th century
Language family	Indo-European Italic Latino-Faliscan Latin Medieval Latin; ; ; ;
Early forms:	Old Latin Classical Latin Late Latin Medieval Latin; ; ;
Writing system	Latin alphabet
Official status
Official language in	De facto in most Christian states during the Middle Ages
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Linguist List	lat-med
	Europe, 1000 AD

Medieval Latin was the form of Latin that was used in the Middle Ages. It was used mostly by scholars and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but it was used also as a language of science, literature and administration.

Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors, Medieval Latin should not be confused with Ecclesiastical Latin. There is no consensus on exactly when Late Latin ends, and Medieval Latin begins. Some scholars have their surveys of it begin with the rise of early Christian Latin in the mid-4th century, but others have around the year 500.^[1]

Page with medieval Latin text from the Carmina Cantabrigiensia (Cambridge University Library, Gg. 5. 35), 11. cent.

Important Medieval Latin authors

4th-5th centuries

Aetheria (fl. 385)
St Jerome (c. 347-420)

6th-8th centuries

Gildas (d. c. 570)
Venantius Fortunatus (c. 530-c. 600)
Gregory of Tours (c. 538-594)
Isidore of Seville (c. 560-636)
Bede (c. 672-735)

9th-10th centuries

Ratherius (890-974)
Thietmar of Merseburg (975-1018)

Medieval Latin Media

An illuminated manuscript of a Book of Hours contains prayers in medieval Latin.
The Prüfening dedicatory inscription from Bavaria, dated to 1119, composed in medieval Latin. It was printed rather than carved.

Notes

↑ Jan M.Ziolkowsky, "Towards a History of Medieval Latin Literature", in: F. A. C. Mantello and A. G. Rigg (eds.), Medieval Latin: An Introduction and Bibliographical Guide (Washington, D.C., 1996), pp. 505-536 (pp. 510-511)

References

K. P. Harrington, J. Pucci, and A. G. Elliott, Medieval Latin (2nd ed.), (Univ. Chicago Pres, 1997) ISBN 0-226-31712-9

Other websites

Wright, Thomas, ed. A Selection of Latin Stories, from Manuscripts of the Thirteenth and Founteenth Centuries: A Contribution to the History of Fiction During the Middle Ages. (London: The Percy Society. 1842.)
Mental furniture from the philosophers, article on the influence of medieval Latin on modern technical vocabulary.

[1] Jan M.Ziolkowsky, "Towards a History of Medieval Latin Literature", in: F. A. C. Mantello and A. G. Rigg (eds.), Medieval Latin: An Introduction and Bibliographical Guide (Washington, D.C., 1996), pp. 505-536 (pp. 510-511)

[1]