Radical Reform, inevitable debts: Lorenzo Valla, Alexander de Villa-Dei and Recentes Grammarians

In a letter to his friend Joan Serra, Lorenzo Valla shows his contempt for medieval grammars, describing Alexandre de Villedieu, Evrard de Béthune, Giovanni Balbi and others as "faex hominum". Many traces of this polemics are woven into his linguistic work, the "Elegantie lingue latine". The "Elegantie" represent a monumental attempt to restore Latin to its original splendour after the so-called barbarities of the Middle Ages. But in practical terms, is Valla truly able to reach his goal and break from the medieval tradition? Beginning with this question, the paper focuses on Valla's linguistic works, showing both their innovative and traditional facets.