From the Diabolus in Musica website:

"Beware of modern instruments called "citterns". They are perfectly respectable and useful instruments, and often used to good effect by folk musicians, but they have very little in common with the renaissance cittern, other than the name. That's not a problem, except that there are whole websites devoted to the cittern, created by enthusiastic folks who firmly believe that the modern cittern and the renaissance one are closely related, and pretty much different versions of the same instrument. Which they ain't."

The cittern was common throughout Europe. The so-called "English" cittern had 4 courses while so-called "French" and "Italian" citterns generally had 5 and 6 courses respectively. But...

...if you look at the Oakwood cittern pages you'll see citterns made with 5 courses. Nothing is really as it seems when it comes to citterns - or bouzoukis, Irish, Greek or otherwise.

I've read through this thread - and this is my one and only contribution because - dear WAV - it is patently obvious that you haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about. You appear to have gained your ideas of what constitutes living and growing traditions from "Janet and John" books. I just wonder that so much time and energy has been expended by so many intelligent people on such drivel as you spout.