Oleksii Rudenko “Don’t Look Back in Anger ” The Classics, Early Modern Authors, and Making the Polish-Lithuanian Origin Accounts Introduction “O Poles, how can you lay a claim to antiquity?”, wondered János Vitéz (John Vitez of Sredna), bishop of Esztergom and prominent fifteenth-century humanist¹. “I have not found any evidence about your ancient history in the writings of any of the ancient authors”, he added. His interlocutor, Polish humanist and future archbishop of Lviv, Grzegorz of Sanok (1406–1477), failed to find a plausible answer to this question. “I have not found [any evidence] either, and although I was re- searching these issues thoroughly, I can recall nothing certain”, Grzegorz respond- ed, and then continued: “Likewise, I do not trust our native authors; those who claim that they highlight to us our ancient history, only darken those times wishing in vain to create the appearance of antiquity.” This discussion, according to the Italian humanist Filippo Buonaccorsi, often referred to as Callimachus (1437 –1496)², took place in the mid or late 1440s in Vi- Acknowledgment: I am grateful to Tomasz Grusiecki for his suggestions and encouragement to finish this article. My deepest gratitude, however, is addressed to the brave people of Ukraine: to those who continue to work, study, research, fight, teach, rescue, donate, and volunteer to defend our homeland from Russian aggression. 1 See a recent monograph about János Vitéz: Tomislav Matić, Bishop John Vitez and Early Renais- sance Central Europe.The Humanist Kingmaker, Amsterdam, 2022 (Beyond Medieval Europe), esp. pp. 7 –16, 91–124. 2 Philippi Callimachi Vita et mores Gregorii Sanocei, ed. Irmina Lichońska, Warszawa 1963 (Bib- liotheca Latina medii et recentioris aevi 12), p. 36: “Ex quo factum est, quod cum aliquando epis- copus pro facultate sua dicendique copia memoriter et ornate recensuisset varietatem fortunae utriusque Pannoniae et qui mortales diversis temporibus eas terras tenuissent, interrogaret Gre- gorium, quidnam de Polonorum antiquitate sentiret, cuius mentionem nusquam apud veteres scriptores legisset. Ad quem Gregorius: Neque ego, quamvis diligens ea in re fuerim, quod pro certo asseverem, comperisse memini … Sic, qui nobis antiquitatem nostram explicare profitetur, maxime eam occultavit vanitate affectatae vetustatis; dum enim nimis longe omnia repetere vult, nihil certum aut verisimile affert.”. Translations in the article, unless otherwise stated, are mine. Open Access. © 2023 bei den Autorinnen und Autoren, publiziert von De Gruyter. Dieses Werk ist lizenziert unter einer Creative Commons Namensnennung 4.0 International Lizenz. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110793093-008