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History Of Script - 15th Century and Beyond
In the 14th and 15th century, Italian scholars following Petrarch's admiration for classical culture, adopt what they believe is a Roman style for their new, original script. In searching through ancient texts they discover the elegant Carolingian manuscripts, from Charlemagne's monastic workshops and adapt this paragon for their texts. The secretary of the papal court of Rome, Poggio Bracciolini, uses lowercase letters evident in Carolingian script and adds capital letters in straight-edged design, imitating Roman script used on monuments. Niccolo Niccoli speeds up the writing process by angling the pen at a more relaxed angle, thereby sloping the letters and permitting them to join together. Joining together of letters, also called 'cursive' hand-writing, is a medieval invention, as seen in manuscripts from the Middle Ages.
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