Marulius

Marulius is the Latinized form of Marko Marulić (1450–1524), a Croatian humanist, poet, and scholar who is frequently credited as a founder of Croatian literature. In Latin scholarly sources his name appears as Marcus Marulus and, less commonly, Marulus; the form Marulius is used in some modern references.

He was born in Split, in Dalmatia, and studied at Italian universities, notably Padua and Bologna. He pursued a career as a cleric and teacher within the humanist movement and wrote in both Latin and Croatian.

Marulić produced poetry and prose that combined classical forms with Christian ethics and humanist ideas. His best-known work is Judita (Judith), a Latin epic published in 1501, which helped establish the Croatian Renaissance literary framework. He also wrote the Davidiad, a narrative on the biblical David, along with other didactic and devotional writings that circulated beyond Dalmatia.

Marulić's legacy lies in bridging medieval and Renaissance literary traditions and in promoting learned culture in the Adriatic region. He is widely regarded as a foundational figure in Croatian literature and as an early interpreter of humanist ideals in the southern Slavic world. The Latin-name usage, Marcus Marulus or Marulus, appears in older sources, while modern references often use Marulius as a scholarly variant.