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During his career as official at the Council of Basel, as secretary and later top diplomat at the Imperial Court, as papal envoy, as cardinal, and as pope, Enea Silvio Piccolomini / Pope Pius II, gave a number of orations and responses to ambassadors which taken together document his literary and oratorical gifts and throw valuable light on the political and ecclesiastical processes of the second third of the 15th century. Today, 80 of his orations and diplomatic responses are known to be extant, in a quite considerable number of manuscripts kept in European libraries. Of these 50 were published collectively by G.D. Mansi in 1755-1759, the only previous comprehensive edition. In the present edition, nine of Pius´ orations are published for the first time. Most of the orations have not been translated previously.

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von Cotta-Schönberg, Michael
Michael von Cotta-Schönberg was born in Copenhagen in 1944. Academic degrees in Philosophy (Univ. of Louvain) and Psychology (Univ. of Copenhagen). Emeritus Deputy Director, Royal Library, Copenhagen, and Director, Copenhagen University Library. Royal Order of Dannebrog 2005.

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