JOHN ARGYROPOULOS (1471)

Byzantine Humanist, an active promoter of the revival of learning in the West, and a teacher.


Among the pupils in Constantinople was the scholar Constantine Lascaris. Argyropoulos divided his time between Italy and Constantinople, was in Italy (1439) for the Council of Florence, and spent some time teaching in Padua.


When Constantinople fell in 1453 he left it for the Peloponnese and in 1456 took refuge in Italy. He was professor of Greek in Florence and in 1471 moved to Rome, where he continued to teach Greek until his death.


He left a number of Latin translations, including many of Aristotle´s works, but his real importance lies in his work as a teacher in Italy.