Willibald Pirckheimer
Willibald Pirckheimer (1470-1530) was a notable German humanist, writer, and politician from a prominent Nuremberg family. His early exposure to literature and art, influenced by his father, a legal counselor, shaped his intellectual pursuits. After studying law in Italy and developing a keen interest in Humanistic philosophy, Pirckheimer returned to Germany in 1495. He became a significant figure in Nuremberg's city council, serving for nearly three decades and undertaking various diplomatic missions. Pirckheimer was also a close associate of the renowned painter Albrecht Dürer, contributing to the cultural landscape of his time.
His literary works reflect his humanist ideals, with "Bellum Helveticum" serving as a notable historical account. He was a pioneer of Greek studies in Germany, translating important texts that addressed ethical questions and contemporary issues. Among his major works is "Apologia sev podagrae lavs," a paradoxical defense of gout that gained popularity during the Renaissance. Throughout the Reformation, Pirckheimer found himself navigating religious tensions, particularly concerning his family's Catholic ties and his sympathies toward Lutheran ideas. He passed away in 1530 and was laid to rest in Nuremberg, near the grave of his esteemed friend Dürer.
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Willibald Pirckheimer
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- Born: December 4, 1470
- Birthplace: Eichstätt, Germany
- Died: December 22, 1530
- Place of death: Nuremberg, Germany
Biography
German Humanist and writer Willibald Pirckheimer was born in 1470 and descended from a well-known patrician Nuremberg family. Pirckheimer’s father was legal counselor to the bishop of Eichstätt and introduced Pirckheimer to literature and art. From 1488 until 1489, Pirckheimer received basic military and courtly training at the court of the bishop of Eichstätt. He studied law in Italy from 1489 to 1495 and became attracted to Humanistic philosophy. He also was interested in art and architecture, maintaining a sketchbook of his drawings and developing a friendship with the painter Albrecht Dürer, who provided illustrations for some of Pirckheimer’s writings and translations.
In 1495, Pirckheimer returned to Germany without an academic degree. In the autumn of that year, he married the daughter of a patrician family, Cresentia Rieter, who died in 1504 after the birth of their sixth child. In 1496, Pirckheimer began his long term of service on the Nuremberg City Council, which ended in 1523. His training as a lawyer and skill for diplomacy led the council to select him to conduct many missions within and outside of the Holy Roman Empire.
One of his first works, “Bellum Helveticum,” about the Holy Roman Empire’s war with the Swiss Confederation, is a typical Humanist history. It is written in Latin, filled with quotes form Cicero and Sallust, and contains the patriotic spirit characteristic of the historical writings of German Humanists. In 1502, Pirckheimer resigned from the city council for a period of three years. During this period, he devoted himself to Greek studies, making him one of the pioneers of such studies in Germany. After attaining proficiency in the Greek language, Pirckheimer began to publish his Latin translations of Greek texts in 1513. His translation choices were guided by his interest in ethical questions, and he used his translations to speak out on topical issues, including his disagreements with the conservative members of the city council.
Pirckheimer wrote numerous essays on such diverse topics as the Communion ritual and numismatics. Priscorum numismatum ad Nurenbergensis monetae valorem facta aestimatio, his final essay on numismatics, was published posthumously in 1533. He wrote an elegy for his good friend Dürer in 1528, Opera politica, historica, philologica, et epistolica (1610), that also was published posthumously.
In 1522, Pirckheimer published his sole major original composition, Apologia sev podagrae lavs (The Praise of the Gout: Or, The Gouts Apologie, a Paradox, Both Pleasant and Profitable, 1617). The work is an ironic encomium in which Podagra (Gout) defends herself against the many people afflicted with the disease. This work was very popular during the Renaissance, was reprinted until the end of the seventeenth century, and translated into several different languages.
During the Reformation, Pirckheimer was torn between religions factions. His sisters, including author Caritas Pirckheimer, and three of his daughters lived in Roman Catholic convents that Lutheran leaders sought to dissolve. Despite these family members’ beliefs, Pirckheimer agreed with many of Martin Luther’s theses, including the rejection of the monastic life as a way to God’s grace.
Pirckheimer died in 1530 after several years of retirement from city politics. He was buried in Nuremberg’s Saint John’s Cemetery near the grave of his friend Dürer.