Historical example of reverse political correctness?
Commonplace among C15th humanists to refer to Turks as 'Teucri' (Trojans). Bracciolini, Ficino, Bruni all used it, even Pope Eugene IV. Then post-1453 term became politicised. Active campaign began against use of 'teucri'.
Commonplace among C15th humanists to refer to Turks as 'Teucri' (Trojans). Bracciolini, Ficino, Bruni all used it, even Pope Eugene IV. Then post-1453 term became politicised. Active campaign began against use of 'teucri'.
"Those who are now called Turks are not, as some think, the Trojans or Persians. They are a race of Scythians from the center of Barbary"
Wrote Cardinal Aeneas Piccolomini (the future Pius II) to Pope Nicholas V in 1453.
Wrote Cardinal Aeneas Piccolomini (the future Pius II) to Pope Nicholas V in 1453.
Pius II followed this up with reproving letters to offending humanists & commissioned Venetian diplomat Niccolo Sagundino to write a work on the origins of the Turks (Liber de Familia Autumanorum) in 1456. It's probably the earliest written European research into Ottoman history.
Throughout the 1450s & 60s there seems to be a consistent humanist narrative which attempts to demonize Turks as 'barbarous', 'Scythian' & to divorce them from the Trojan image which might justify the Anatolian conquests & elevate them in Homer-reading minds of European elites.
This is clearly designed to make recruiting a crusader force possible. It has a much smaller target audience than 20th century propaganda, but the aims are just the same.
