This is the first new critical dual-language (Latin/German) edition of one of the most important New Latin Jesuit dramas, Nicolaus Avancini's (1611--1686) »Pietas victrix«. The historical drama centres around Constantine the Great's victory over his adversary Maxentius (Battle of the Milvian Bridge, 312 BC). The text follows the editio princeps (Vienna 1650), which contains the stage directions (of major value for the history of drama) and engravings of the stage decorations (reproduced in the appendix of this volume). A detailed Introduction (with a bibliography of research literature) informs the reader about the author and his works, with special reference to »Pietas victrix« as a stage play. Alongside the critical edition of the text, the volume also documents and translates the variants found in subsequent editions and the passages altered at a later stage. It further contains the German Perioche and a list of the actors involved in the first performance. The notes on the text provide brief information on the most important historical references.

Autorentext
Ulrich Seelbach lehrt als Apl. Professor der Germanistischen Mediävistik am Fachbereich Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft der Universität Osnabrück.