Heinrich Steinhöwel
Heinrich Steinhöwel was a notable figure in 15th-century Germany, born around 1411 in Weil der Stadt, Württemberg. He pursued higher education at the University of Vienna, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1432 and a master's degree in 1436. Steinhöwel later moved to Padua, Italy, where he initially studied canon law but ultimately shifted his focus to medicine, receiving his doctorate in 1443. He held positions as a physician for both the city council of Ulm and Count Eberhard of Württemberg, achieving a distinguished social standing.
Steinhöwel's contributions to literature included a medical treatise on plague prevention and various translations of classical texts into German, making significant works more accessible to the public. His translation of Apollonius von Tyrus and the compilation of fables into "Das selb Leben Esopi" were particularly influential, with the latter being published in multiple editions. He was also involved with the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit within the Roman Catholic Church. Steinhöwel passed away in March 1479, leaving a lasting impact on both medicine and literature in his time.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Heinrich Steinhöwel
Writer
- Born: c. 1411
- Birthplace: Weil der Stadt, Württemberg, Germany
- Died: March 1, 1479
- Place of death: Ulm, Germany
Biography
Heinrich Steinhöwel was born in Weil der Stadt, Württemberg, Germany, around 1411. It is likely that he attended the Latin school in the city of Weil, but he might have gone to school in nearby Esslingen. In the summer of 1429, he enrolled at the University of Vienna, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1432. He received a master’s degree from the university in 1436, and was required to teach there until the winter of 1437. Sometime around 1439, he moved to Padua, Italy, to study canon law, but decided to study medicine instead.
In 1442, Steinhöwel assumed the position of the dean of liberal arts at the University of Padua. He earned his doctorate in medicine in 1443, and spent some time either learning or teaching medicine at the University of Heidelberg. By 1446, he had returned to his native town of Weil, where he held a temporary position as a doctor. He was appointed as the doctor for the city council in Ulm in 1450, at a salary that was twice that of the mayor. At the same time, he became the private physician to Count Eberhard of Württemberg, and this allowed him to achieve a social position similar to that of a nobleman.
Steinhöwel’s first publication was a medical treatise on preventing the plague, Buochlin der ordnung, wie sich der Mensch halten sol, zu den Zyten diser grusenlichen Kranckheit (little book on how a person should lead his life during these times of horrible sickness). The booklet was written during his time in Weil but was not published until 1473, after a friend of Steinhöwel’s opened a printing business. The first part of the treatise focuses on disease prevention, and the signs and symptoms of the disease. Part two of the treatise discusses what should be done if the person should become ill with the plague.
In 1454, Steinhöwel was the personal physician to Duke Phillip of Burgundy, and this position brought him into contact with wealthy literary patrons. Steinhöwel’s next work was a translation of Apollonius von Tyrus from Latin into German, which he completed in 1461. This translation allowed a wider audience to read one of the most popular medieval texts. The translation first circulated as a loose manuscript, and was eventually printed in 1471.
For several years, he continued to work translating other texts into German. Steinhöwel’s most important work was the translation of many fables and tales into a volume called Das selb Leben Esopi (the life of Aesop). The text was extremely popular, and it appeared in at least twenty-four editions between 1477 and 1545. In 1478, Steinhöwel was inducted in the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit of the Roman Catholic church. He died several months later in March, 1479.