The volume contains the Proceedings of the International Conference on the era, life, and work of the two first Mavrocordatos, Alexandros of the Confidential and Nikolaos. The significant position of the two scholars in the so-called "Republic of Letters," in addition to their presence in the political events of late 17th and early 18th century Europe, served as the impetus for organizing the Conference. Although historians have ample material to research and comment on regarding their lives and actions within the Ottoman Empire and their role in shaping modern Greek national consciousness, it is very important that their work is also explored philologically, as it contributes decisively (even in an early stage) to the formation of modern Greek narrative prose, both fictional/literary and historical or philosophical.

Also, on an ideological level, they introduce modern ideology into modern Greek thought and promote the ideas of the still-forming European Enlightenment.

Contents

Prefatory Note

Biography of Dimitris Krommydas

Biography of Sterios Fasoulakis

Conference Program

The concept of Early Enlightenment as a category of historical analysis. From Paul Hazard to Jonathan Israel

Alexandros Mavrocordatos (1641-1709). Aspects of his life, evidence of the society of his time

Nikolaos Mavrocordatos and the Dispute between the Ancients and the Moderns

Alexandros Mavrocordatos the Confidential as a historian

The manuscript of the Romans by Alexandros Mavrocordatos at the Library of the Romanian Academy (no. 700). Description and some early observations

Aristotelian thought in Pneumaticum instrumentum circulandi sanguinis (Bologna 1664) by Alexandros Mavrocordatos the Confidential

The Collectio Epistolica of Eugenios Voulgaris and its intertextual relationships with the letters of Alexandros Mavrocordatos

The Mavrocordatos and their contribution to modern Greek narrative prose: Questions and working hypotheses for Philology and its methods

The Prince of Photios and Filotheou Parerga of Nikolaos Mavrocordatos

The prince of books on "On the Study of Letters and the Reading of Books" by Nikolaos Mavrocordatos

The princely paraphernalia and the "economy of knowledge"

Nikolaos Mavrocordatos as a reader of Machiavelli

A Phanariote in the Old Testament: An aspect of the hegemonic self-staging of Nikolaos Mavrocordatos

Nikolaos Mavrocordatos and his relationship with Catholic and Protestant scholars

Between P. Nikousios and A. Mavrocordatos: Wojciech Bobowski / Ali Ufkî (1610?-1675) and the intercultural relations of the interpreters of the Sublime Porte

Alexandros Mavrocordatos managing to create a familiar dynasty in the Romanian countries

Mavrogordatos/Mavrocordatos: The family and the continuity of Greek scholarship during the Turkish occupation

Mavrocordatos family (Properties-Coats of Arms) in Chios

Index of authors and titles of works or publications

Index of terms (words and phrases)