First printed edition of Gesta Danorum
- When
- 1510–1514
- Where
- Denmark; Paris, France
- Episodes
- 2
In 1514, Christiern Pedersen and Jodocus Badius published the first printed edition of Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum in Paris. Pedersen had previously searched Denmark for a copy of the work, which was nearly lost.
Episodes
- Search for Manuscript
Pedersen searched Denmark for a copy of Saxo's works between 1510 and 1512.
- Paris Publication
The first printed edition was published in Paris on 15 March 1514.
Background and detail
Background. Gesta Danorum is a patriotic work of Danish history by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus. It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and an essential source for the nation's early history, consisting of sixteen books written in Latin.
Recovery of the Text. By 1510–1512, Saxo's works were nearly all but lost. Christiern Pedersen, a Danish translator working in Paris, searched Denmark high and low for an existing copy of the text to preserve the historical record.
Publication Details. With the help of printer Jodocus Badius, the text was refined and printed. The first printed press publication and oldest known complete text was published in Paris, France, under the title Danorum Regum heroumque Historiae.
People involved
- Christiern Pedersen · Editor and translator who recovered the text
- Jodocus Badius · Printer and publisher
- Saxo Grammaticus · Original author of Gesta Danorum
Sources
- Gesta Danorum Wikipedia
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.