Nicodemus Frischlin
Nicodemus Frischlin was a prominent German scholar and playwright born in 1547 in Balingen, Germany, to a Lutheran preacher. Educated in classical languages, he attended the University of Tübingen, where he thrived in a multidisciplinary environment and earned a Master of Arts degree. At just twenty, he began lecturing on classical literature and astronomy, showcasing his scholarly prowess. Frischlin initially gained recognition for his poetry in the late 1560s and early 1570s, although it did not lead to a sustainable career. He subsequently ventured into theater, where his biblical and pagan-themed plays garnered greater success and reflected a shift towards political satire, critiquing urban life and the court.
However, his outspoken positions led to controversy, resulting in his exile from Tübingen and the duchy of Württemberg in 1586, distancing him from the Lutheran community. In the final years of his life, he continued to write, striving for a return to his earlier status. Nicodemus Frischlin passed away in 1590, and his legacy was later solidified as one of the leading Neo-Latin poets of his time. His life and work reflect the complexities of religious and political identities in Renaissance Europe.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Nicodemus Frischlin
Writer
- Born: September 22, 1547
- Birthplace: Ballingen, Germany
- Died: November 29, 1590
- Place of death: Urach, Germany
Biography
Nicodemus Frischlin was born in 1547 to a Lutheran preacher who held a relatively high position within the small town of Balingen, Germany. Frischlin was educated at scholarly Latin schools rather than vocational German schools and seemed primed to follow in his father’s footsteps when he became fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, the three biblical languages of the time. In 1562 he enrolled at the University of Tübingen, where a rigorous multidisciplinary curriculum prepared him for any sort of scholarly occupation. Having earned a M.A., he was offered a professorship to lecture on classical literature and astronomy at the age of twenty.
Frischlin’s literary career commenced with his poetry, which he began publishing in the late 1560’s and early 1570’s. His poetry, often of a laudatory nature, drew some praise but not enough for him to make a profession out of it. In the mid-1570’s Frischlin made a foray into theater, and his plays were characterized not only for their biblical basis but also for their pagan elements. Seen as a Christian Terence of sorts, Frischlin had greater success with his plays than with his earlier poetic works. However, the subject material of his plays became more political over time, and Frischlin chose to satirize urban life and mock the court from which he got much of his support. Holding firmly to his convictions amid rumors that he sympathized with Roman Catholicism, he was exiled from Tübingen and all of the land belonging to Ludwig, the duchy of Württemberg, in 1586. This essentially removed him from the center of the Lutheran world. The last years of his life were spent toiling away as a man of letters, often attempting returns to the world from which he was banished. Nicodemus Frischlin died in 1590, but his reputation was ultimately restored as one of the premier Neo-Latin poets of his era.