Desiderius Erasmus

Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch philosopher, scholar, and theologian, known in his time as the “Prince of the Humanists.” He was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands in 1466. As the illegitimate son of a priest, he was afforded access to the best education available at the time and attended a series of religious institutions. After being ordained as a priest in 1492, he became the secretary the Bishop of Cambrai in 1495. Soon after, he was given permission to study in Paris, where he established himself as a skilled classicist and scholar, winning him the attention of Lord Mountjoy, an English nobleman. Mountjoy eventually hired Erasmus as a personal tutor in Latin, and Erasmus moved to England, a journey which led to several notable connections, chief among them Thomas More. Though often impoverished, Erasmus’s reputation continued to grow, allowing him to travel extensively across Europe, continuing his studies and enjoying residencies at several distinguished institutions. Among his accomplishments, he masterfully translated a large number Greek and Latin works, published a series of classics textbooks, and wrote several popular scholarly works. Of these works, Adages and The Praise of Folly were most popular. Though a lifelong Catholic, Erasmus often criticized the Roman Catholic Church in his works—particularly The Praise of Folly—making him a controversial figure. In fact, his polemics against the Church were and are often cited as a major influence on the Protestant Reformation, though he personally disavowed any connection to the movement. He published his last work, Ecclesiastes, in 1535, after moving to the Netherlands at the invitation of the Queen of Hungary. He died a year later in 1536 in Basel.