Previously unpublished letters of Louis XI written by his secretary Pierre-Paul Senilis (Introduction and text of 11 letters in humanistic Latin)

A manuscript in the Basle library (E.III.15), originally in the Basle chart erhouse, contains a rich collection of humanistic texts in various hands, c opied in the last quarter of the 15th century, and possibly put together by Johann Heynlin. Among other documents, there are ten letters, deeds and pe titions of King Louis XI (edited in the present article), which may be ascr ibed to Pierre-Paul Senilis, an Italian from Umbria: he was a royal notary and secretary from the beginning of 1468 to the end of 1471, and an obligee of Cardinal Balue, whose fall from favor eventually sent Senilis back to I taly for good. Although the documents in question bear no sign of actual de livery, they offer precious evidence concerning both King Louis's policy an d the adoption of humanistic Latin by the French royal Chancery. The fact t hat they were selected for use as models also explains why they are so vari ed in kind: honorary nominations of Lorenzo de' Medici and of the Florentin e chancellor, Bartolomeo Scala, an intimation to the latter of the favor be stowed upon him, petitions sent to the pope in favor of five individuals an d accompanied by a letter from one of them, and two letters of condolence o n the occasion of the death of Duke Jean de Calabre.