Zuzana Vařáková:
Zoology and Encyclopaedias of the 13th Century in Medieval Bohemia

Abstract

The presented overview focuses on zoology and its place in the phenomenon of medieval encyclopaedism in the 13th century, with focus on the medieval Bohemian readership. The aim of the present paper is threefold: to discuss the main encyclopaedic sources with a special focus on the zoological passages of the texts; to introduce four most important encyclopaedists of the 13th century – that is Thomas of Cantimpré, Bartholomew the Englishman, Vincent of Beauvais, and Albert the Great – together with the only known encyclopaedic author from the Bohemian Lands, Pavel Žídek, who was active in the 15th century; and thirdly, to demonstrate the inclusion of zoology into the wider conception of their works.

Language: czech

Keywords: medieval encyclopaedism; 13th Century; Thomas of Cantimpré; Bartholomew the Englishman; Vincent of Beauvais; Albert the Great; Pavel Žídek; animals