Poul Helgesen
Encyclopedia
Poul Helgesen was a Danish Carmelite, a humanist and historian.
(a minor Danish parallel of Erasmus of Rotterdam) came from the province of Halland
. He became a brother of the Carmelite Order and, based at the Carmelite priory
, if which he was briefly superintendent, made himself a career as a teacher of theology in Copenhagen
. His ideal seems to have been a Christian-human royal power taking care of intellectual and cultural values. Relatively early he opposed King Christian II
and at the fall of the king 1523 he was a representative of the rebellious noblemen, probably writing the complaint against the deposed king. However the religious line of the new king, Frederick I
, disappointed him gravely.
Though a sharp critic of abuse and decline within the Roman Catholic Church he took up a quite unsympathetic attitude to the Protestant opposition and as a participant in the religious debate of the 1520s he could not avoid being a mouthpiece of the established church. He was engaged in a heated and often injuring polemic against the reformers
without being fully trusted by the prelates and the religious and political development in Denmark gradually made him an isolated man. After the death of King Frederick 1533 Helgesen successfully accused the reformer Hans Tausen
of heresy
but the yielding attitude of the Catholic bishops and the outbreak of the Count's Feud
made his results fruitless. During this war Helgesen disappears from history: whether he was killed, died of natural causes or left the country is an unsolved mystery.
which mainly deals with his own times. It is anonymous but all modern Danish historians recognise him as its author. Often poorly drawn up and mixing great and small events it is nevertheless a monument of his firm political and religious attitudes.
Though our knowledge of the life and personality of Helgesen is only fragmentary he still appears a rather living figure due to his outspoken personal engagement and his temperamental language that shows a man at the borderline of two epochs. He is the most outstanding Danish representative of late Catholic intellectual humanism
.
Life
Helgesen, the leading Danish example of Reform CatholicismCatholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
(a minor Danish parallel of Erasmus of Rotterdam) came from the province of Halland
Halland
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , on the western coast of Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat.-Administration:...
. He became a brother of the Carmelite Order and, based at the Carmelite priory
Carmelite Priory, Copenhagen
The Carmelite Priory, Copenhagen, was a small Carmelite college in Copenhagen, Denmark, in existence between 1497 and 1529, with connections to the University of Copenhagen.- History :...
, if which he was briefly superintendent, made himself a career as a teacher of theology in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. His ideal seems to have been a Christian-human royal power taking care of intellectual and cultural values. Relatively early he opposed King Christian II
Christian II of Denmark
Christian II was King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden , during the Kalmar Union.-Background:...
and at the fall of the king 1523 he was a representative of the rebellious noblemen, probably writing the complaint against the deposed king. However the religious line of the new king, Frederick I
Frederick I of Denmark
Frederick I of Denmark and Norway was the King of Denmark and Norway. The name is also spelled Friedrich in German, Frederik in Danish, and Fredrik in Swedish and Norwegian...
, disappointed him gravely.
Though a sharp critic of abuse and decline within the Roman Catholic Church he took up a quite unsympathetic attitude to the Protestant opposition and as a participant in the religious debate of the 1520s he could not avoid being a mouthpiece of the established church. He was engaged in a heated and often injuring polemic against the reformers
Reformation in Denmark
The Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein was the transition from Roman Catholicism to Lutheranism in the realms ruled by the Copenhagen-based House of Oldenburg in the first half of the sixteenth century...
without being fully trusted by the prelates and the religious and political development in Denmark gradually made him an isolated man. After the death of King Frederick 1533 Helgesen successfully accused the reformer Hans Tausen
Hans Tausen
Hans Tausen , the protagonist of the Danish Reformation, was born at Birkende on Funen in 1494 and died in Ribe in 1561.- Life :...
of heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
but the yielding attitude of the Catholic bishops and the outbreak of the Count's Feud
Count's Feud
The Count's Feud , also called the Count's War, was a civil war that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark...
made his results fruitless. During this war Helgesen disappears from history: whether he was killed, died of natural causes or left the country is an unsolved mystery.
Works
Helgesen was an industrious author and historian but some of his works are lost. Among them must be mentioned his translation of Erasmus’ Institutio Principis Christiani (1522) that also indicates his own ideals. An independent work is his Historia Compendiose (about 1523), a short account of Danish kings and their relationship. In addition some polemic writings against both Protestants and traditional Catholics are preserved showing his temper as well as his theological knowledge. His main work is however the unfinished Skibby ChronicleSkibby Chronicle
The Skibby Chronicle is a Danish Latin chronicle from the 1530s found in the church of Skibby in North Zealand. It is anonymous but according to all historians the author is the outstanding humanist Poul Helgesen...
which mainly deals with his own times. It is anonymous but all modern Danish historians recognise him as its author. Often poorly drawn up and mixing great and small events it is nevertheless a monument of his firm political and religious attitudes.
Though our knowledge of the life and personality of Helgesen is only fragmentary he still appears a rather living figure due to his outspoken personal engagement and his temperamental language that shows a man at the borderline of two epochs. He is the most outstanding Danish representative of late Catholic intellectual humanism
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
.