In my undergraduate honors thesis for the Stanford classics department, I explored the concepts of Gens Florentissima and Gens Fortissima in Isidore of Seville’s Historia de regibus Gothorum, Vandalorum et Suevorum, a delightful little Latin work about the Visigothic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula and the nation’s triumphant (for Isidore) conversion from Arianism to Catholicism.
According to diligent research done by yours truly, the term Florentissima applies to the Visigoths only after they convert to the True Faith. To quote myself,
Floreo conveys the literal meaning of “bloom” as well of flourishing and prosperity. Thus, the conversion of the Visigoths represents the moment of a bud bursting into bloom, watered and tended diligently by the grace of God.
Now for the more applicable part––Florentissima also means quite simply “flourishing / blooming / prosperous things.”
Now isn’t that a nice way to look at content creation? My entire intention with this little corner of the internet is to bring you delightful pieces of medieval culture that you may never learn from an educational institution (why would you, unless you’re studying medieval studies like me!)
I really truly believe that there is a great deal to learn (more on that later) from the medieval eras, as well as a blooming (hehehe) garden of delightful stories, inspirational figures, and fascinating conundra that should not be available only to learned scholars or those who have access to the Bodleian library system.
Welcome to this exciting adventure of medievalism, hang out as long as you like. Here, “back to the dark ages” is a veritable compliment 😉
Musings of a medievalist mama 