Johannes Murmellius was a Dutch teacher and humanist, known for numerous textbooks, and his spreading of humanism

Renaissance humanism

Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...

, particularly in the Prince-Bishopric of Münster.

Life

He was born in Roermond

Roermond

Roermond is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights in 1231...

, and was a pupil of Alexander Hegius von Heek

Alexander Hegius von Heek

Alexander Hegius von Heek was a German humanist, so called from his birthplace Heek in Westphalia.In his youth he was a pupil of Rodolphus Agricola and Thomas à Kempis, at that time canon of the convent of St Agnes at Zwolle...

 in Deventer

Deventer

Deventer is a municipality and city in the Salland region of the Dutch province of Overijssel. Deventer is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, but also has a small part of its territory on the west bank. In 2005 the municipality of Bathmen Deventer is a municipality and city in...

. From 1496 to 1500 he was at the University of Cologne

University of Cologne

The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...

. Then with the support of Rudolph von Langen

Rudolph von Langen

Rudolph von Langen was a German Catholic divine, who helped introduced Humanistic ideas to the town of Munster, Westphalia. He was born in the village of Everswinkel, near Munster, to an aristocratic family....

  he was brought in as assistant head of the cathedral school at Münster. After friction with the head, he moved to another school there, reforming textbooks and promoting the teaching of Greek. Pupils travelled from distant parts of Europe to study with him.

He was then school rector in Alkmaar

Alkmaar

Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...

 from 1513, where he insisted his pupils had a good reading knowledge of parts of the Bible. The marauding Arumer Zwarte Hoop

Arumer Zwarte Hoop

The Arumer Zwarte Hoop was an army of peasant rebels in Friesland fighting the Dutch authorities from 1515 to 1523....

 sacked Alkmaar in late June 1517, leaving Murmellius destitute.

He moved on to Zwolle

Zwolle

Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...

, briefly working under Gerardus Listrius, and then to a position at Deventer. He died suddenly in early October 1517, giving rise to an unsubstantiated rumour that Listrius had poisoned him.

Works

Around 50 works of his are known, mostly written with pedagogical intent.

He published an edition of the Consolation of Philosophy

Consolation of Philosophy

Consolation of Philosophy is a philosophical work by Boethius, written around the year 524. It has been described as the single most important and influential work in the West on Medieval and early Renaissance Christianity, and is also the last great Western work that can be called Classical.-...

of Boethius in 1511, followed in 1514 by a commentary.

His Pappa Puerorum (1515) was a very successful Latin primer, and his Latin Lexicon was influential as far away as Hungary.

Further reading

• Dietrich Reichling (1880, reprinted 1963), Johannes Murmellius: sein Leben und seine Werke