Corona Regia (Latin for "Royal Crown") was a scandalous satire of King James I of England. It was written from the fictional perspective of an unfinished panegyric of the king found among the papers of Isaac Casaubon (1559–1614) and published by John Bill, the king's printer. In fact neither Casaubon nor Bill had anything to do with the publication. Corona Regia has been described as "an important text in the history of satire, in the history of English monarchy, and in study of seventeenth-century English theological debates".[1]
| Author | Euphormione (pseudonym) |
|---|---|
| Original title | Is. Casauboni corona regia. Id est panegyrici cuiusdam vere aurei, quem Iacobo I. Magnæ Britanniæ, &c. Regi, fidei defensori delinearat, fragmenta, ab Euphormione inter schedas τοῦ μακαρίτου collecta, & in lucem edita |
| Language | Latin |
| Subject | James I of England |
| Genre | satirical panegyric |
| Published | London (false address; really Leuven) |
| Publisher | John Bill (false address) |
Publication date | 1615 |
Published in English | 2010 |
| Pages | 129 |
Investigation
editThe king was so offended by the book that attempts to identify and punish those involved in its production took up considerable time and energy of English diplomats on the Continent. This was a special concern for William Trumbull at the court of the Archdukes Albert and Isabella, as their historiographer royal, Erycius Puteanus, was under particular suspicion of being the author.[2] Trumbull, who spent over £6,500 on his investigation, later shifted his suspicions to a student at Leuven University named Cornelius Breda.[3] Nobody was ever brought to trial.
Later editions
editA scholarly edition and translation by Tyler Fyotek, with an introduction by Winfried Schleiner, was published by Droz in 2010.[4]
In 2011 Dana F. Sutton produced a hypertext edition and translation for the University of Birmingham's "Philological Museum" Website.
References
edit- ^ Review of 2010 edition by David A. Salomon in Sixteenth Century Journal 44/1 (2013): 269–270.
- ^ Imran Uddin, William Trumbull: A Jacobean diplomat at the court of the Archdukes in Brussels, 1605/9-1625, doctoral thesis, Catholic University of Leuven, 2006.
- ^ Review of 2010 edition by Kevin Sharpe in The Times Literary Supplement, April 1, 2011.
- ^ Review of 2010 edition by Johann Sommerville in Journal of Early Modern History 15/6 (2011): 573 – 574
External links
edit- Scans of original edition (1615) on Google Books.
- Hypertext edition by Dana F. Sutton (2011).
- Webpage for the Droz edition (2010).
- Ute Winter: Corona Regia : eine Schmähschrift gegen Jakob I. von England und ihre diplomatischen Folgen (in German). Phil. Diss. Vienna (1970)