A study of the work of Claude de Seyssel as a translator of classical texts and his contribution to the development of French humanism

The article addresses an important but less studied aspect of the activities of Claude de Seyssel (1450-1520), a humanist, his work as a translator of classical texts. His work as a Greek texts' translator was definitely prominent and he deserves full credit for the translation of classical texts into French, such as those by Thucydides. The article also studies the process of adaptation of Italian humanism to French reality, it is important to mention that in French humanism there were more appealing to Greek themes rather than to Roman ones, especially in a period of Italian wars. This was connected to political reasons and to attempts of the French crown to dominate in Italy, and so to rely on the Greek historical heritage rather than on the Roman one that had been appropriated by Italian city-states in the developmental process of Italian humanistic historiography.