Academy of the Crusca

An academy founded in Florence in 1583 by a group of scholars who called themselves Brigata dei Crusconi (among them Anton Francesco Grazzini). It formulated the idea of publishing a dictionary which would preserve the classical Florentine language. The Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca was published in 1612 and spanned similar work in other countries.

The Accademia della Crusca is an Italian institution that brings together scholars and experts in Italian linguistics and philology. 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.

Currently, the dictionary maintained by the Academy is a historical work describing the Italian language of 1612. 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.

The French had previously invaded the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in 1799, declaring themselves to be protectors of the Tuscan people. 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.

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."

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.