Kulturtransfer zwischen Basel und Polen. Die Universität Basel und die politischen und intellektuellen Eliten in Polen-Litauen in der ersten Hälfte des 16. Jahrhunderts

Abstract

This article deals with the relations between Basel and Poland in the first half of the 16th century, shown through the paradigm of the cultural transfer. The study claims that, in this period, relations with Erasmus of Rotterdam were far more important than relations with the University of Basel. Moreover, they have gone beyond the history of education. Indeed, Poles who visited Erasmus belonged to the narrow political elite of the kingdom. An analysis of the exchange of correspondence and gifts reveals that these contacts were not only of a cultural nature but also political. The royal court in Cracow used the position and fame of Erasmus to clear itself of favoring the Reformation. These accusations may have arisen in 1525 after the conversion of Grand Master of the Order Albrecht of Prussia which led to the establishment of the first Protestant duchy in Europe. The manipulation of the letter Erasmus sent to King Sigismund of Poland in 1527 proves that the cultural transfer not only went both ways and the “recipients” actively initiated it but also that they were able to creatively manipulate the content of the transfer.