The Accademia della Crusca is an Italian institution that brings together scholars and experts in Italian linguistics and philology. It was founded in Florence in 1583, and has remained well known for its mission to maintain the "purity" of the original Italian language. In 1612 the Academy published the first edition of the Dictionary of the Italian Language, which also served as a model for subsequent dictionaries in French, Spanish, German and English. Founded 59 BC as Florentia Region Tuscany Mayor Leonardo Domenici (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  102 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 356,000 almost 500,000 3,453/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 43°47 N 11°15 E www. ... Events August 5 - Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes first English colony in North America, at what is now St Johns, Newfoundland. ... Italian (italiano   listen?) is a Romance language spoken by about 70 million people, most of whom live in Italy. ... Events January 20 - Mathias becomes Holy Roman Emperor. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Currently, the dictionary maintained by the Academy is a historical work describing the Italian language of 1612. Events January 20 - Mathias becomes Holy Roman Emperor. ...

History

(...)

Fifth Edition

On 3 March 1809 the throne of Tuscany passed to Lady Elisa Baciocchi, the sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. Baciocchi, however, was not able to modify or create laws; these remained under the control of her brother. As a result, all laws, proclamations, letters, manifestos, edicts, and other legal documents were written in French. This imposition of a foreign language exacerbated feelings of discontent among the Tuscan people, and word of this discontent was brought to the attention of the French court by don Neri Corsini. March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 1809 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Tuscany (Italian Toscana) is a region in central Italy, bordering on Latium to the south, Umbria to the east, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria to the north, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. ... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français...

The French had previously invaded the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in 1799, declaring themselves to be protectors of the Tuscan people. They took control without firing a single shot, and immediately took on the role of new rulers: they imprisoned Ferdinand III, imposed new laws and appropriated as much money as they could find. The Florentines began to call the French nuvoloni (clouds) in imitation of the French words that began every proclamation and decree: "Nous voulons..." The French, along with their local supporters, were soon detested by the Tuscan people, and this manifested in revolts in several Tuscan cities which succeeded in defeating the French army and pushing the French out of Florence. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a state in central Italy which came into existence in 1569, replacing the Duchy of Florence, which had been created out of the old Republic of Florence in 1532, and which annexed the Republic of Siena in 1557. ... Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, or, more fully, His Imperial and Royal Highness Ferdinando III Giuseppe Giovanni Baptista Grand Duke of Tuscany, Archduke of Austria, Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, (May 6, 1769 - June 18, 1824; born and died in Florence, Italy), was the son of Leopold II of... Founded 59 BC as Florentia Region Tuscany Mayor Leonardo Domenici (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  102 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 356,000 almost 500,000 3,453/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 43°47 N 11°15 E www. ...

Napoleon likely kept the memory of this brief occupation in mind when returning to Tuscany, and thus understood that it was best concede a small amount to the Tuscan people in order to keep discontent at easily controlled levels.

On 9 April 1809, Napoleon gave the Florentines the right to use their own language in a decree sent from the Tuileries Palace. In this decree he affirmed that "The Italian language may be used in Tuscany alongside the French language, in the courts, in notarized acts and in private." In a further attempt to display benevolence, Napoleon continued: "We have created an annual prize of 500 napoleons, which will be administered by our civil service and will be presented to the authors whose works contribute with the greatest effect to the maintenance of the Italian language in all of its purity." April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1809 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The napoleon is a former French gold coin. ...

Every so often Napoleon put forth laws in favour of the Florentines, such as the decree of 9 January 1811 which reestablished the former Accademia della Crusca, "particularly charged with the revision of the dictionary of the Italian language, and with the conservation of the purity of such." Thanks in part to the reopening of the Academy, the fifth edition of the Dictionary was published. The Academy's scholars were given an annual salary of 500 francs, 1000 francs were paid to those charged with the compilation of the dictionary, and 1200 francs were paid to the secretary of the Academy. January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1813 the Accademia della Crusca acquired the Biblioteca Riccardiana, an important collection of texts and manuscripts. 1813 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

External links

• Official website (in English and Italian)