El humanismo de Eiximenis: saber, ciudad y cortesía

Abstract

This paper provides an approach to the thought of the Franciscan Francesc Eiximenis (c. 1330-1409), one of the Crown of Aragon’s most distinguished authors. Living during the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, his intellectual universe contains elements of both worlds. While from a doctrinal viewpoint, he follows the canons of the Medieval period, from the social viewpoint —by advocating a greater role for the bourgeoisie—, he proposes a precapitalist economy. In a broad sense, from a pedagogic viewpoint, one can define Eiximenis as a humanist concerned with fostering city life, the prominence of active life through cultivation of the mechanical arts, the expansion of knowledge as an effective means for combating ignorance, the development of reading as a tool for improving the governance of cities and the dissemination of courtesy to temper the ills caused by sin, particularly gluttony. Without being a humanist in the strict sense, Eiximenis —author of the encyclopaedic work (Lo Crestià), written at the end of the 14th century in the vernacular tongue so that it could be read by everyone— contributes to laying the foundations of a pedagogic culture that seeks the betterment of society through a series of elements —appreciation of knowledge, praise of work, expansion of courtesy, encouraging reading among women, etc.— which, in general, herald and anticipate the advent of the Renaissance. This would confirm the thesis that argues that the Renaissance is not a break from the Middle Ages but rather it is the outcome of a gradual evolution that is more suggestive of continuity than rupture.