Ulrich von Hutten
Ulrich von Hutten was a notable figure in the early 16th century, recognized as both a humanist and a reformist during the onset of the Reformation. Born in Germany in 1488 to a declining noble family, Hutten initially pursued a monastic education but left the monastery in 1505 to seek his fortune. His life was marked by instability as he roamed from university to university, striving to establish himself as a knight despite his lack of training and ongoing health issues from syphilis. Throughout his life, Hutten gained recognition for his sharp satirical writings, including the significant poem "Nemo" and critiques of social injustices.
In 1517, he was appointed as poet laureate by Emperor Maximilian I, which afforded him some influence among the humanist circles of Europe. However, his increasing disillusionment with court politics, paired with his deteriorating health, led him to focus his efforts on supporting Martin Luther's reformative theology. His works, such as "Invectivae," openly criticized the corruption within the Church and the papacy, drawing the ire of authorities. As a wanted man, he sought refuge with various patrons but ultimately succumbed to his illness, dying on Ufenau island in Lake Zurich in 1523. Hutten's life and writings reflect the tumultuous political and religious landscape of his time, making him a significant historical figure in the context of the Reformation.
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Ulrich von Hutten
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- Born: April 21, 1488
- Birthplace: Fulda, Hesse, Germany
- Died: August 29, 1523
- Place of death: Ufenau, Zurich, Switzerland
Biography
Ulrich von Hutten was classified as both a Reformist and a Humanist as the Reformation approached in the sixteenth century. Born in Germany in 1488 to a family of waning influence and resources, Hutten was expected to gain an education and religious instruction in a monastery. By 1505, however, Hutten left the monastery and drifted from university to university, cut off from his family’s support. The wanderings that characterized the rest of his life might be interpreted as the peregrinations of an insecure man who sought an identity as a knight, and traveled anywhere he hoped he might find a benefactor in whose name he could pursue a knightly path. Any pretensions about becoming a knight were undermined by Hutten’s lack of training and his diminutive size. Hutten was infected with syphilis, further weakening him. Hutten developed renown for his biting satire.
In 1510, Hutten wrote the long poem Nemo, important for the biographical information it contained. After being evicted by the family that had taken him as a boarder, Hutten penned a scathing attack on his landlords in Equestris ordinis poetae in Vuedegum Loetz Consulem Gripesualdensem im Pomerania et filium eius Hennigum Vtr: Juris doctorem Querelarum libri duo pro insigni quadam iniuria sibi ab illis facta. Having become something of a troubadour, Hutten made his way to Vienna in 1511. In 1512, Hutten published poetry in his book Ad divum Maximilianum Caesa. Aug. F. P. bello in Venetos euntem, Vlrici Hutteni Equitis, Exhortatio. Seeking an education in law, Hutten left Vienna for Italy and took up studies in Pavia.
Hutten found literary patronage in 1517 when Emperor Maximilian I him crowned as poet laureate and named him imperial orator. The position also won Hutten the confidence of the Archbishop Albert in Mainz. While Hutten’s responsibilities placed him at the center of court machinations, and gave him access to Humanists in Paris, Hutten found the pretensions of court business tedious and frivolous, perhaps not befitting the business of the knight Hutten still sought to be identified as. Hutten’s syphilis had progressed by 1518 to cause serious bone deterioration, high fever, and debilitating lesions. Hutten’s 1519 written account of his treatment in De Guaiaci medicina et morbo gallico liber unus marked a significant contribution to the history of medicine.
Outraged during the last years of his life by corruption in the Papacy, Hutten devoted energies to supporting Luther’s theology, which drew the ire of Rome, and prompted Hutten’s pursuit by the Inquisition. Invectivae, written in 1521, criticized the condemnation and prohibition of Luther at the Diet of Worms. A wanted man, Hutten found refuge with Sickingen who lead a band of knights in Ebernburg. Too stricken with syphilis, Hutten was unable to take part in Sickengen’s siege on the archbishop of Trier. Sickengen was killed. Hutten fled to Basel and sought refuge in Zurich. Hutten died on Ufenau island in Lake Zurich, in 1523.