Joachim Vadianus
Joachim Vadianus, born Joachim Von Watt on November 29, 1484, in Sankt Gallen, Switzerland, was a prominent Swiss humanist known for his extensive contributions to literature, education, and the Reformation. He pursued his studies at the University of Vienna, where he demonstrated a vast knowledge across various fields, including literature, medicine, and geography. Vadianus gained recognition as a poet and was appointed poet laureate by Habsburg Emperor Maximilian in 1514.
He returned to Sankt Gallen in 1518, where he became widely known for his scholarly work on the geography of Pomponius Mela, transforming it into a comprehensive volume that emphasized the importance of geography across multiple disciplines. Vadianus also engaged in the Reformation, utilizing his political influence to support its establishment in his hometown. His notable works include a treatise on poetics published in 1518 and a world atlas in 1534 that was among the first to feature America. Vadianus served as mayor of Sankt Gallen and passed away on April 6, 1551, leaving a legacy as a key figure in Swiss humanism and education.
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Joachim Vadianus
Humanist
- Born: November 29, 1484
- Birthplace: Sankt Gallen, Switzerland
- Died: April 6, 1551
- Place of death: Sankt Gallen, Switzerland
Biography
Swiss humanist Joachim Vadianus was born Joachim Von Watt on November 29, 1484, in Sankt Gallen, Switzerland. His father was a wealthy linen merchant. Vadianus left for Vienna in 1501 and studied at the university there. Vadianus was known for his wealth of knowledge in a wide range of areas, as he had studied classical, medieval, and contemporary literature, medicine, law, civil and religious history, geography, music, philosophy, and theology.
In 1506-1507, Vadianus went to the city of Villach, where he worked as a teacher. He earned his master of arts degree in 1509, and, following the success of some of his poetry, he was named poetry chair at the University of Vienna. Habsburg emperor Maximilian named him poet laureate in 1514. From 1516 to 1517, he was popular rector at the university, where he oversaw the publication of numerous works by ancient writers such as Ovid and Pliny the Elder.
In 1518, Vadianus returned to Sankt Gallen. It was in this same year that he became widely popular for his scholia of the geography of Pomponius Mela. Scholia is a term that is used for the type of writing in which a writer expands upon an original work with his or her own commentaries, explanations, additional information, and updates to the original information provided. Vadianus took Mela’s original seventy-six pages of manuscript and turned it into a large volume with more than seven hundred pages. Vadianus introduced Mela’s writings and geographical explorations to every discipline, pointing out that all disciplines, from religion to medicine to history, need to know geography and places. He added all of the extensive and varied knowledge he had obtained over the years to this scholia, making it almost exhaustive to read.
The second edition of the scholia was published in 1522, with additional reprints in 1530, 1540, 1557, and 1564. He later practiced medicine in Sankt Gallen and also served as mayor in 1526. Through the use of his political and clerical connections, he helped establish the Reformation in the city. He presided at two debates—in Zurich in 1523 and in Bern in 1528—over the teachings of Huldrych Zwingli and Berthold Haller, respectively.
Vadianus’s book De poetica et carminis ratione liber (of poetics and the structure of poetry) was published in 1518. Grosse Chronik der Äbte des Klosters St. Gallen, published in 1529, was a history of the abbey at Sankt Gallen. His 1534 world atlas Epitome trium terrae partium, Asiae, Africae, et Europae was one of the first to include America. Vadianus died on April 6, 1551, in Sankt Gallen.