Talk:Janez Vajkard Valvasor

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[edit] Carniolian?

Carniolian? That's like saying that a historian from Graz is a Styrian historian, and not an Austrian. I have changed it, if you have objections please state them here, before we start an edit war. Wikingus 22:59, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

One objection might be that Slovenia did not exist in Valvasor's day, so "Slovenian" is questionable. Valvasor considered himself a Carniolan ("nam Kranjcem") and referred to his homeland as Carniola ("v moji domovini, namreč na Kranjskem"). I don't think it's going to start an edit war, especially as in your next comment you admit that he considered himself a Carniolan! Rabascius (talk) 15:13, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Janez Vajkard?

In Slovenia Valvasor is usually referred to by this Slovenicised version of his name but it seems to me that to maintain this practice in English smacks of historical revisionism. I propose that the article be moved to "Johann Weichard Valvasor", which, after all, is the name on the title page of the works that are his principal claim to international fame. You can even see it in the illustration! Rabascius (talk) 22:32, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

You won't get any objections from me. However, I'd hardly say that calling him Janez Vajkard is historical revisionism. As he was Slovene and spoke Slovene (obviously, he also spoke German, but as far as I know wasn't ethnically German, and in any case, didn't perceive himself as such, but first of all as a Carniolan), what's the problem? Naturally, all men of importance during those days mostly used the German versions of their names (almost any Slovene name of the era had a German version that was often used in official papers). Wikingus (talk) 21:12, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

Granted, many a "Janez" is referred to as "Johann" or "Ioannes" in written sources, but in the case of "Vajkard" versus "Weichard", I doubt anyone would seriously try and claim that the latter is a Germanisation of the former! My view is that calling him "Janez Vajkard" is a political choice designed to underline his perceived Sloveneness. As far as I know, he never signed himself "Janez". What did his mother call him, I wonder? "Little swot", probably... Rabascius (talk) 15:13, 23 May 2008 (UTC)