MARULIC, MARKO

born Aug. 18, 1450, Split, Dalmatia [now in Croatia] died Jan. 6, 1524, Split Croatian moral philosopher and poet whose vernacular verse marked the beginnings of Croatian literature. The scion of a noble family, Marulic studied classical languages and literature and philosophy at Padua before returning to his native Split and a life of scholarship. At the age of 60 he withdrew to a Franciscan monastery on the island of olta but returned to Split, disillusioned by the experience, two years later. Marulic's didactic moral works were written in Latin and translated into many European languages. They stressed practical Christianity and reflected an appreciation of Stoic thought. His most important vernacular poem was Istorija svete udovice Judit u versih hrvacki slozena (1521; The History of the Holy Widow Judith). The first printed Croatian literary work, Judit is an epic in six cantos in which Marulic sought by the example of an Old Testament heroine to strengthen his people in their struggles against the Turks.