Research Themes
Past and present research projects on Medieval philosophy in Central Europe that Andrea Fiamma has worked on.
Nicholas of Cusa: From Cologne Scholasticism to Humanism of Rome
Pioneering a new understanding of Nicholas of Cusa, these studies chart his intellectual transition from the Albertist scholasticism of Cologne, which shaped the metaphysical framework of his early thought, to the humanist milieu of Renaissance Rome. They reveal for the first time how his engagement with Cicero and Plato after 1450 gave rise to a distinctly Petrarchan conception of humanism, marking a decisive shift in the character and aims of his philosophy. [Read more]
Cologne: from the Dominican Studium to the University Albertism
Spanning more than two centuries of intellectual history, these researches redefine our understanding of the Albertist tradition in Cologne, tracing its evolution from the Dominican Studium of the late thirteenth century to its flourishing within the university culture of the fifteenth century. Combining a new critical edition of the Quaestiones of John Picardi of Lichtenberg with previously unknown evidence on figures such as Henry of Gorkum and Heymericus de Campo, they also uncover the enduring influence of Dietrich of Freiberg and Berthold of Moosburg on fifteenth-century thought, most notably in the writings of Nicholas of Cusa. [Read more]
John Wenck, Marcellus Geist and other Masters from the University of Heidelberg
Opening an entirely new chapter in the history of medieval thought, these studies uncover the previously unknown existence of an Albertist tradition within the Faculty of Arts of the University of Heidelberg and establish Marcellus Geist as its key figure. Complemented by critical editions and pioneering analyses of the earliest university writings of John Wenck, composed during his theological education, this research redraws the intellectual map of fifteenth-century German Albertism. [Read more]
University of Vienna: Faculty of Arts, Law and Theology
These publications reconstruct the rich intellectual landscape of fifteenth-century Vienna by moving beyond institutional history to examine the circulation of ideas between university classrooms, monasteries, and humanist circles. Drawing on neglected sources, including previously unstudied sermons and newly edited texts by Johannes Schlitpacher, they illuminate the connections linking Aristotelian ethics, legal scholarship, monastic reform, and the reception of Jean Gerson, whose influence helped shape a distinctive form of Austrian humanism that also intersected with the world frequented by Nicholas of Cusa. [Read more]
University Speeches at Prague, Leipzig, and Krakow (PRAISE)
This ongoing research, conducted within the PRAISE project, uncovers new intellectual connections between the Faculties of Arts of Prague, Kraków, and Leipzig through a systematic analysis of university speeches and academic oratory. By examining their doctrinal content, it reveals previously overlooked networks of transmission and exchange across the universities of late medieval Central Europe. [Read more]
History of Philosophical Historiography in Central Europe
At the intersection of intellectual history and historiographical self-reflection, these studies explore the interpretative lenses through which the history of philosophy is itself constructed. They invite a critical awareness of the conceptual filters that continue to shape our understanding of late medieval thought. Central to this inquiry are figures such as Richard Falckenberg, Eugenio Garin, Ernst Cassirer, and Alois Dempf, whose work is re-examined as a formative set of interpretative frameworks that have profoundly influenced the modern historiography of medieval philosophy. [Read more]