{{Short description|Serbian writer, Catholic bishop and humanist}} {{Infobox writer | name = Martin Segon | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date and age|Year|Month|Day}} --> | birth_place = Novo Brdo, Serbian Despotate | death_date = 1482 or 1485 | death_place = | resting_place = | occupation = Writer, Catholic bishop and humanist (Bishop of Ulcinj) | citizenship = Serbian, Venetian | education = *PhD in Law *PhD in Canon law | alma_mater = University of Padua | spouse = | children = | relatives = Jovan de Segonis (parent) | awards = | signature = | portaldisp = | subject = Description of the national customs of the late medieval Balkans <br> Biographical sketch of Skanderbeg | movement = Humanism | notableworks = Martino Segono di Novo Brdo, vescovo di Dulcigno. Un umanista serbo-dalmata del tardo Quattrocento }}
'''Martin Segon''' ({{lang-sr-Cyrl|Мартин Сегон}}, {{langx|la|Martinus Segonius Nouomotanus}}, {{langx|it|Martino Segono}}) was a Serbian writer,<ref>{{cite book|title=Zbornik Matice srpske za književnost i jezik|year=1991|publisher=Matica srpska|location=Novi Sad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xqdiAAAAMAAJ&q=%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%9A%D1%83|access-date=2 April 2012|page=91|language=sr|quote=Мартина Сегона, по сопственој изјави "српског писца"}}</ref> Catholic Bishop of Ulcinj, and a notable 15th-century humanist.<ref name=zgodovinski>{{cite book|title=Zgodovinski časopis, Vol. 54|year=2000|publisher=Zgodovinsko društvo za Slovenijo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TS1pAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Martin+Segon+je+eden+najvidnej%C5%A1ih+humanistov+s+konca+15.+stoletja.+Znano+je%2C+daje+bil+sin+Jovana+de+Segonis+iz+Kotora+in+daje+bil+kanonik+cerkve+sv.+Marije+v+znanem+rudarskem+mestu+Novo+Brdo.%22|access-date=1 April 2012|page=131|quote="Martin Segon je eden najvidnejših humanistov s konca 15. stoletja. Znano je, daje bil sin Jovana de Segonis iz Kotora in daje bil kanonik cerkve sv. Marije v znanem rudarskem mestu Novo Brdo. [...] Segonovo djelo je bilo vse do leta 1981 nepoznato. Takrat je Milanski profesor Agostino Perdusi izdal knjigo s naslovom "Martino Segono di Novo Brdo, vescovo di Dulcigno. Un umanista serbo-dalmata del tardo Quattrocento"}}</ref>
== Biography ==
Segon was born in Novo Brdo, in the Serbian Despotate.<ref>{{Citation |last= Mihailović |first=Kosta |title=Kosovo and Metohija: past, present, future : papers presented at the International Scholarly Meeting held at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade, March 16–18, 2006 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=W28tAQAAIAAJ&q=%22%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD+%D0%A1%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%BD%22 |year= 2006 |publisher=Serbian Academy of Science and Arts |location= Belgrade |page=53 |isbn=978-86-7025-429-9 |quote=Bishop of Ulcinj and humanist Martin Segon, born in Novo Brdo}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Elsie|first=Robert|title=Historical Dictionary of Kosovo|year=2010|publisher=Scarecrow Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pg-aeA-nUeAC&pg=PA204|page=204|quote=Novoberda was the birthplace of the late 15th-century Slavic writer Martinus Segonus|isbn=9780810874831}}</ref> The name of Segon's father was Jovan de Segonis and he was from Kotor. Segon was a canon in the church of St. Maria in Novo Brdo.<ref name=zgodovinski/> He probably moved to Ulcinj when Novo Brdo was captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1455.
He was educated in Padua and wrote his works in Latin language.<ref>{{cite book|title=Serbia and the neighbouring countries on early maps|year=1991|publisher=Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti|author=Narodna biblioteka SR Srbije|page=16|quote=Новобрђанин Мартин Сегон, школовао се у Падови и писао је на латинском}}</ref> Segon received a PhD in "both laws" (Doctor of law and Doctor of Canon Law) at the University of Padua in 1475.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ćirković|first=Sima|author-link=Sima Ćirković|title=Izvori Mavra Orbina: addenda et corrigenda|year=2011|publisher=Zavod za hrvatsku povijest Filozofskoga fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu|editor=Hrvoje Gračanin|page=59|language=sr|quote=da je u Padovi studirao i stekao doktorat iz „oba prava“ 1475.}}</ref> Segon was a prelate when he died in 1482,<ref>{{cite book|last=Ćirković|first=Sima|author-link=Sima Ćirković|title=Izvori Mavra Orbina: addenda et corrigenda|year=2011|publisher=Zavod za hrvatsku povijest Filozofskoga fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu|editor=Hrvoje Gračanin|page=59|language=sr|quote= i kao prelat umro 1482. godine.}}</ref> or in 1485.<ref>"Становништво словенског поријекла у Албанији" – Зборник радова са међународног научног скупа одржаног на Цетињу 21, 22. и 23. јуна 1990. Марица Маловић-Ђукић, [http://www.rastko.rs/rastko-al/zbornik1990/mmarovic-pilot.php "Пилот у средњем веку"] – "Код писца касног средњег века Мартина Сегона (умро 1485 )" {{in lang|sr}}</ref>
== Works ==
When the Ottoman Empire started to capture more and more European territory, the Popes sent missionaries to the Balkans to spy on the Ottoman forces and their organization of the territories they captured. One of the missionaries was Martin Segon. Pope Sixtus IV instructed Martin Segon to travel across the Balkans and investigate routes which could be used to intercept the Ottomans.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bojović|first=Zlata|title=ГОДИШЊАК Катедре за српску књижевност са јужнословенским књижевностима|year=2010|publisher=Филолошки факултет Универзитета у Београду|location=Belgrade|url=http://www.fil.bg.ac.rs/katedre/skjsk/godisnjak/Godisnjak-katedre-za-srpsku-knjizevnost-2010.pdf|access-date=2 April 2012|page=24|quote=папе увиђају величину опасности за хришћански свет и почињу да шаљу мисије на Балкан које ће извиђати турске снаге и њихово устројство на освојеној територији.... Са тим циљем упутио је... папа Сикст IV ... Мартина Сегона, „родом Которанина а пореклом Србина из Новогамонта друкчије Новобрда названог“ да путује Балканом и испитује оне правце на којима би се могли пресрести Турци.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419212106/http://www.fil.bg.ac.rs/katedre/skjsk/godisnjak/Godisnjak-katedre-za-srpsku-knjizevnost-2010.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> He sent the text he wrote to pope Sixtus IV at the beginning of 1480, before Gedik Ahmed Pasha organized the Ottoman invasion of Otranto.<ref>{{cite book|title=actes du Colloque interdisciplinaire|year=1975|publisher=A.I.E.S.E.E|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dm7aAAAAMAAJ&q=%22martinus+segonus%22|access-date=2 April 2012|page=281|quote=un mémoire envoyé par l'évêque Martinus Segonus (ou Segonius) de Ulcinij au pape Sixte IV dans les premiers mois de 1480, lorsque se profilait à l'horizon l'expédition navale de Ghedik Ahmed pasha}}</ref> Segon's report overcame its main purpose because it included Segon's observations mainly about Serbia (and in less extent other regions) at the end of the 15th century, its history, ethnology, geography, castles, monasteries, Ragusan traders, people and their character, Battle of Kosovo, epic poetry etc.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bojović|first=Zlata|title=ГОДИШЊАК Катедре за српску књижевност са јужнословенским књижевностима|year=2010|publisher=Филолошки факултет Универзитета у Београду|location=Belgrade|url=http://www.fil.bg.ac.rs/katedre/skjsk/godisnjak/Godisnjak-katedre-za-srpsku-knjizevnost-2010.pdf|access-date=2 April 2012|page=24|quote=Иако по богатству садржаја овај извештај далеко превазилази своју намену, јер су у њему забележена многобројна сведочанства о Србији с краја XV века историјске, етнолошке, географске, антрополошке, културолошке природе, о градовима, пределима, утврђењима, манастирима, дубровачким трговачким колонијама, о људима и њиховом карактеру, о Косовском боју, о певању јуначких песама и др...., у мањој мери и других крајева,|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419212106/http://www.fil.bg.ac.rs/katedre/skjsk/godisnjak/Godisnjak-katedre-za-srpsku-knjizevnost-2010.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Feliks Petančić used the manuscript written by Martin Segon and published it in 1522 under the title ''De itineribus in Turciam libellus''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ćirković|first=Sima|title=Izvori Mavra Orbina: addenda et corrigenda|year=2011|publisher=Zavod za hrvatsku povijest Filozofskoga fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu|editor=Hrvoje Gračanin|page=60|language=sr|quote= spis Petančića De itineribus in Turciam libellus (1522.). Posle otkrića Segona pokazalo se da taj spis ustvari pripada njemu}}</ref>
Only one section of his work that was translated in Italian is preserved.<ref>{{cite book|title=Zbornik Matice srpske za književnost i jezik|year=1991|publisher=Matica srpska|location=Novi Sad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xqdiAAAAMAAJ&q=%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%9A%D1%83|access-date=2 April 2012|page=91|language=sr|quote=у Сегоновом трактату који је сачуван само у изводу на италијанском језику}}</ref> That extract was unknown until professor Agostino Petrusi from Milan published it in 1981 within his book titled ''Martino Segono di Novo Brdo, vescovo di Dulcigno. Un umanista serbo-dalmata del tardo Quattrocento''.<ref name=zgodovinski/> A part of the text he wrote is short but very important biographical sketch on Skanderbeg ({{langx|it|Narrazioni di Giorgio Castriotto, da i Turchi nella lingua loro chiamato Scander beg, cioe Alesandro Magno}}).<ref>{{cite book|title=Studi storici|publisher=Istituto storico italiano per il medio evo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K3loAAAAMAAJ&q=Narrazioni+di+Giorgio+Castriotto,+da+i+Turchi+nella+lingua+loro+chiamato+Scander+beg,+cioe+Alesandro+Magno|access-date=1 April 2012|pages=142–145|language=it|quote=Narrazioni di Giorgio Castriotto, da i Turchi nella lingua loro chiamato Scander beg, cioe Alesandro Magno|year=1980}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=UNVOLLSTÄNDIGER TEXTENTWURF ZUR DISKUSSION AM 6.2.2012|year=2012|url=http://www.suedost-institut.de/fileadmin/dokumente/HB_Schmitt_SOE1300-1500_1Textentwurf.pdf|access-date=2 April 2012|page=9|quote=Martinus Segonus verfasste eine der frühesten „Landeskunden“ des spätmittelalterlichen Balkans und eine kurze, aber sehr wichtige biographische Skizze zu Skanderbeg}}{{Dead link|date=December 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == * {{Citation |last=Pertusi |first= Agostino |title=Martino Segono di Novo Brdo vescovo di Dulcigno : un umanista serbo-dalmata del tardo quattrocento : vita e opere |year= 1985 |publisher= Istituto storico italiano per il Medio Evo |location= Rome |oclc=469427244}}
== External links == {{Wikiquote}} * [http://www.montenegrina.net/pages/pages1/istorija/crnojevici/o_balkanskim_krajevima_i_narodima.htm Malo djelo poštovanoga gospodina Martina de Segonis, po narodnosti Kotoranina, a porijeklom Srbina iz Novomonta, drukčije Novobrda, nazvanog po milosti božjoj Episkopa Ulcinjskog preblaženom Sikstu IV, Rimskom papi] – Text of the work of Martin Segon on Serbian language
{{Serbian literature}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Segon, Martin}} Category:15th-century Roman Catholic priests Category:15th-century Serbian writers Category:Serbian non-fiction writers Category:Serbian humanists Category:Serbian Roman Catholics Category:University of Padua alumni Category:People from Novo Brdo Category:1480s deaths Category:Year of birth unknown