In June 1879, Royal MS 16 E VIII, a unique 13th-century manuscript, vanished from the Round Reading Room of the British Museum after being returned by a Prussian reader. This essay synthesises 20 years of rigorous research since the author's previous publications, offering new insights into this significant case.The study examines the intense academic rivalries between German and French scholars after the Franco-Prussian War and the profound cultural significance of Royal MS 16 E VIII, which contained the sole copy of 'Le Voyage de Charlemagne à Jérusalem et à Constantinople,' believed to be the oldest poem in French literature. It highlights key figures, including the Prussian philologist Eduard Koschwitz and Herr Rothe, J.R.R. Tolkien's teacher at KES, and provides a detailed textual reconstruction of the lost manuscript.Aimed at historians, philologists, and medievalists, this updated work illuminates the impact of the Franco-Prussian War on academic nationalism and cultural heritage. It is an indispensable resource for understanding a pivotal moment in the history of Europe and the British Museum.
Carla Rossi, a philologist and art historian, has made significant contributions to academia since the 1990s, focusing on Italian, Old-French, and Latin literature. Her works cover critical editions of Renaissance Italian texts, as well as research into Anglo-Norman texts, Marie de France, the intellectual milieu around Archbishop Thomas Becket, and the life and works of Alain de Lille. Rossi began at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, studying Romance Philology and Art History. After earning her PhD in Romance Philology at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, she was awarded two university teaching habilitations in Medieval and Renaissance Italian Literature and in Old French Literature, and she was later recognised by the University of Zurich, Switzerland, with the six-year title of Titularprofessorin. In 2006, she initiated the "Biblioclasm & Digital Reconstruction" project, leading to the creation of a series by the same name for Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Currently, Rossi is a Visiting Professor in Italy.
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