Bonifacius Amerbach (1495, Basel – April 1562, Basel[1][2]) was a jurist, scholar, an influential humanist and the rector of the University of Basel for several terms.
Born on the 11 October 1495, he was the youngest son of the printer Johannes Amerbach[3] who immigrated to Basel from Amorbach in Bavaria and Barbara Ortenberg.[4] He was baptized in the Theordorchurch [de] and had two godfathers and one godmother.[5] He received his primary education in Basel[4] from where he was sent away from the family in 1502 and 1507 into safety from the plague.[6] The second time to the monastery Engental in Muttenz, where his teacher was Conrad of Leonberg.[7] In 1507, he was sent to the famous Latin school in Schlettstadt, where he was accommodated by its principal Hieronymus Gebwiler.[8] He studied in Schledtstadt until November 1508.[9] He then returned to Basel where he enrolled studied law at the University of Basel, earning a B.A. in 1511 and an M.A. in 1513.[10] From 1510 onwards, he was taught Greek by the DominicanJohannes Cuno, who became the private teacher of Johann Amerbach's sons and also of Beatus Rheanus.[11] Between 1513[10][12] and 1519 he studied law with Ulrich Zasius in Freiburg im Breisgau, with whom he established a close relationship.[13] It was also in Freiburg that he developed a friendship with Erasmus of Rotterdam.[3] He followed up on his studies with Andreas Alciatus in Avignon from 1520 onwards.[2] In 1519, before his departure to Avignon, Amerbach was painted by Hans Holbein the Younger in order to leave his family a memory, should he die on his travels.[2] In Avignon he made the acquaintance with Guillame Budé, whose writings he had studied in Freiburg and who was an influential scholar of and proponent for French legal humanism.[14] When in 1521 the plague reigned in Avignon, he relocated to Basel for a year.[4] In 1522 he returned to Avignon, where he received his doctorate in 1525.[15][16] His doctoral adviser was Francesco Ripa.[17]
Academic careerEdit
As the successor of Claudius Cantiuncula [de],[18] he taught at the University of Basel from 1525[19][20] onwards and was a main force behind the re-opening of the university following the closure during the Reformation in 1529.[20] During the Reformation he abstained to accept the teachings of the reformator of Basel Johannes Oecolampadius and for a while was determined to leave Basel if those views on the Lord's supper would become to official views by the cities Government.[21] Even though Oecolampadius's views came through, he then stayed but the requirements to be assigned as a professor at the University of Basel were adapted and he was excepted from the duty to attend the Lord's supper.[21] He was assigned with teaching Roman Law in 1530[15] and by 1532 he was the sole Professor teaching at the Faculty of Law in Basel.[15] In 1544, Johann Ulrich Zasius, the son of his former teacher, taught at the faculty of law at the University of Basel.[22] In 1539 he again fled the plague in Basel and stayed for a while with his stepfather in Neuenburg.[23] He was elected the rector of the University of Basel five terms, the first term being in 1526[2] and established the chair for AristortelicEthics.[15] He was a professor for law until his death in 1562.[24]
Legal humanistEdit
He became a prominent legal humanist of Europe during the 15th century, and has corresponded with a vast number of contemporary humanists.[25] Throughout his career he was a moderate voice between the defenders of the mos italicus and those of the mos gallicus.[24] He was not satisfied with just knowing what a texts content was, but was also interested in what the scholars said about the text.[24]
Christian faithEdit
Together with the Catholic Erasmus he had conciliar approach towards the Lutheran and Zwinglian reformists. He was also not an active supporter of the Reformation, which was introduced in Basel in 1529[15] and as the Bildersturm reached Basel, he was able to save several paintings by Hans Holbein the Younger[26] whose works he had collected over years.[27] As he was opposed to the reformation, Amerbach left Basel for some months, but eventually returned.[28] It was only in 1534 when he gave in and formally became a Reformist, also taking part in the Lord's Supper.[15] Despite his official adherence to the Reformation, his friendship with Erasmus perdured[20] and in 1535 Amerbach convinced him to return to Basel from Freiburg im Breisgau.[15] He was an expert and delegate at the Christian synod if Strasbourg in 1533[15] and became the heir of the estate from the Christian scholar and humanist Erasmus von Rotterdam following his death in 1536.[2] As such he also became the caretaker of the Legatum Erasmianum, a foundation aimed for supporting widows, orphans and students.[29]
Musical interestEdit
He maintained good relations to the composers Hans Kotter and Sixt Dietrich [de] since he had stayed in Freiburg.[1] From both he ordered compositions.[30] The musician and poet Heinrich Loriti was also known to be close to him.[31]
Bonifacius Amerbach has assembled a large number of artifacts, coins and medallions during his life.[32] From his father he inherited the vast library upon his death in 1513.[33] He was interested in the goldsmiths designs and works.[32] The collection came into possession of his son Basilius Amerbach and was the foundation of the Amerbach Cabinet.[15]
Personal lifeEdit
During his studies he seemed to have had a lover in Avignon, but his sister Margarethe warned him from bringing a French national into the household.[34] After having declined several marriages which his sister and also his teacher Alciatus had offered him, he finally married in 1527.[34] He had a close relationship with various influential personalities at the time such as Paracelsus and Erasmus which both attended his wedding with Martha Fuchs in Neuenburg am Rhein[35] on the 25 February 1527.[36] In 1528 on Christmas, a daughter Ursula was born, she died early on the 20 June 1532.[36] The daughter Faustina was born in 1530.[36]Hans Holbein the Younger was also a guest in his house in Basel and Amerbach was portrayed by him in 1519.[16] Later his family became the guardian of various paintings of him.[29] In 1533 his son Basilius Amerbach was born. His wife Martha and his youngest daughter Esther died when in 1541/42 the plague was raging in Basel.[2] On the 5 January 1542, his Esther died.[37] After Amerbach's father-in-law Leonhard Fuchs died in 1546 in Neuenburg, Bonifacius Amerbach became the head of the entire Amerbach and Fuchs families.[35] He died in April 1562 and was buried at the Monastery St. Margarethental [de] in Basel.[2]
ReferencesEdit
^ abMerian, Wilhelm (1917). Basler Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Altertumskunde. p. 144.
^ abcdefgMüller, Christian. "1495: Zum 500. Geburtstag des Bonifacius Amerbach - Basler Stadtbuch 1995". www.baslerstadtbuch.ch (in German). p. 46. from the original on 2019-07-28. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
^Jenny, Beat R. (1995). Jacob-Friesen, Holger; Jenny, Beat R. (eds.). Bonifacius Amerbach (in German). Basel: Schwabe Verlag. p. 35. ISBN9783796510083.
^Barral-Baron, Marie (2016). "Rhenanus, Beatus. Epistulae Beati Rhenani. La Correspondance latine et grecque de Beatus Rhenanus de Sélestat. Édition critique raisonnée, avec traduction et commentaire. Vol. 1 (1506–1517). Édité, par James Hirstein avec la collaboration de Jean Boës, François Heim, Charles Munier†, Francis Schlienger, Robert Walter† et d'autres collègues". Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme (in French). 39 (3): 17. doi:10.33137/rr.v39i3.27744. ISSN 0034-429X.
^ abHilgert, Earle (1971). "Johann Froben and the Basel University Scholars, 1513-1523". The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy. 41 (2): 145. doi:10.1086/619934. ISSN 0024-2519. JSTOR 4306069.
^Kisch, Guido (1962). "Die Anfänge der Juristischen Fakultät der Universität Basel 1459–1529" (in German). Basel: Helbing & Lichtenhahn. p. 112.
^ abcHartmann, Alfred. "Amerbach, Bonifacius - Deutsche Biographie". Deutsche Biographie (in German). from the original on 2016-07-02. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
^"Der Aufstieg der Romanistik im 16. Jahrhundert". unigeschichte.unibas.ch. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
^Jenny, Beat Rudolf (2001). "Die Beziehungen der Familie Amerbach zur Basler Kartause und die Amerbachsche Grabkapelle daselbst" (PDF). edoc.unibas.ch. University of Basel. p. 269. (PDF) from the original on 2018-11-03. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
^ abcGilmore, Myron P. (1961). "The Jurisprudence of Humanism". Traditio. 17: 497. doi:10.1017/S0362152900008618. ISSN 0362-1529. JSTOR 27830438. S2CID 152112635.
^Wilson, Derek (1996). Hans Holbein: Portrait of an Unknown Man. p. 161. ISBN978-0-297-81561-7.
^ abÁcs, Pál (2013). "Holbein's "Dead Christ" in Basel and the Radical Reformation". The Hungarian Historical Review. 2 (1): 75. ISSN 2063-8647. JSTOR 42568691.
^Braungart, Wolfgang (1988). "Kunst-Besitzindividualismus : das Amerbachsche Kunstkabinett und die Entstehung der frühneuzeitlichen Kunstkammer". Unsere Kunstdenkmäler: Mitteilungsblatt für die Mitglieder der Gesellschaft für Schweizerische Kunstgeschichte (39): 289 – via E-Periodica.
^ abJenny, Beat R., Jacob-Friesen, Holger (1995). Bonifacius Amerbach, p.51
^ ab"Stadt Neuenburg am Rhein - Neuer Name für ein altes Haus - Wer ist Bonifacius Amerbach?". www.neuenburg.de. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
^ abcJenny, Beat R. (1995). Bonifacius Amerbach, pp.62–63
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October 17, 2023
bonifacius, amerbach, 1495, basel, april, 1562, basel, jurist, scholar, influential, humanist, rector, university, basel, several, terms, portrait, hans, holbein, younger, contents, early, life, education, academic, career, legal, humanist, christian, faith, m. Bonifacius Amerbach 1495 Basel April 1562 Basel 1 2 was a jurist scholar an influential humanist and the rector of the University of Basel for several terms Portrait of Bonifacius Amerbach by Hans Holbein the Younger Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Academic career 2 1 Legal humanist 2 2 Christian faith 2 3 Musical interest 2 4 Collector 3 Personal life 4 References 5 External linksEarly life and education EditBorn on the 11 October 1495 he was the youngest son of the printer Johannes Amerbach 3 who immigrated to Basel from Amorbach in Bavaria and Barbara Ortenberg 4 He was baptized in the Theordorchurch de and had two godfathers and one godmother 5 He received his primary education in Basel 4 from where he was sent away from the family in 1502 and 1507 into safety from the plague 6 The second time to the monastery Engental in Muttenz where his teacher was Conrad of Leonberg 7 In 1507 he was sent to the famous Latin school in Schlettstadt where he was accommodated by its principal Hieronymus Gebwiler 8 He studied in Schledtstadt until November 1508 9 He then returned to Basel where he enrolled studied law at the University of Basel earning a B A in 1511 and an M A in 1513 10 From 1510 onwards he was taught Greek by the Dominican Johannes Cuno who became the private teacher of Johann Amerbach s sons and also of Beatus Rheanus 11 Between 1513 10 12 and 1519 he studied law with Ulrich Zasius in Freiburg im Breisgau with whom he established a close relationship 13 It was also in Freiburg that he developed a friendship with Erasmus of Rotterdam 3 He followed up on his studies with Andreas Alciatus in Avignon from 1520 onwards 2 In 1519 before his departure to Avignon Amerbach was painted by Hans Holbein the Younger in order to leave his family a memory should he die on his travels 2 In Avignon he made the acquaintance with Guillame Bude whose writings he had studied in Freiburg and who was an influential scholar of and proponent for French legal humanism 14 When in 1521 the plague reigned in Avignon he relocated to Basel for a year 4 In 1522 he returned to Avignon where he received his doctorate in 1525 15 16 His doctoral adviser was Francesco Ripa 17 Academic career EditAs the successor of Claudius Cantiuncula de 18 he taught at the University of Basel from 1525 19 20 onwards and was a main force behind the re opening of the university following the closure during the Reformation in 1529 20 During the Reformation he abstained to accept the teachings of the reformator of Basel Johannes Oecolampadius and for a while was determined to leave Basel if those views on the Lord s supper would become to official views by the cities Government 21 Even though Oecolampadius s views came through he then stayed but the requirements to be assigned as a professor at the University of Basel were adapted and he was excepted from the duty to attend the Lord s supper 21 He was assigned with teaching Roman Law in 1530 15 and by 1532 he was the sole Professor teaching at the Faculty of Law in Basel 15 In 1544 Johann Ulrich Zasius the son of his former teacher taught at the faculty of law at the University of Basel 22 In 1539 he again fled the plague in Basel and stayed for a while with his stepfather in Neuenburg 23 He was elected the rector of the University of Basel five terms the first term being in 1526 2 and established the chair for Aristortelic Ethics 15 He was a professor for law until his death in 1562 24 Legal humanist Edit He became a prominent legal humanist of Europe during the 15th century and has corresponded with a vast number of contemporary humanists 25 Throughout his career he was a moderate voice between the defenders of the mos italicus and those of the mos gallicus 24 He was not satisfied with just knowing what a texts content was but was also interested in what the scholars said about the text 24 Christian faith Edit Together with the Catholic Erasmus he had conciliar approach towards the Lutheran and Zwinglian reformists He was also not an active supporter of the Reformation which was introduced in Basel in 1529 15 and as the Bildersturm reached Basel he was able to save several paintings by Hans Holbein the Younger 26 whose works he had collected over years 27 As he was opposed to the reformation Amerbach left Basel for some months but eventually returned 28 It was only in 1534 when he gave in and formally became a Reformist also taking part in the Lord s Supper 15 Despite his official adherence to the Reformation his friendship with Erasmus perdured 20 and in 1535 Amerbach convinced him to return to Basel from Freiburg im Breisgau 15 He was an expert and delegate at the Christian synod if Strasbourg in 1533 15 and became the heir of the estate from the Christian scholar and humanist Erasmus von Rotterdam following his death in 1536 2 As such he also became the caretaker of the Legatum Erasmianum a foundation aimed for supporting widows orphans and students 29 Musical interest EditHe maintained good relations to the composers Hans Kotter and Sixt Dietrich de since he had stayed in Freiburg 1 From both he ordered compositions 30 The musician and poet Heinrich Loriti was also known to be close to him 31 nbsp Epitaph for Bonifacius Amerbach and his son Basilius AmerbachCollector Edit Bonifacius Amerbach has assembled a large number of artifacts coins and medallions during his life 32 From his father he inherited the vast library upon his death in 1513 33 He was interested in the goldsmiths designs and works 32 The collection came into possession of his son Basilius Amerbach and was the foundation of the Amerbach Cabinet 15 Personal life EditDuring his studies he seemed to have had a lover in Avignon but his sister Margarethe warned him from bringing a French national into the household 34 After having declined several marriages which his sister and also his teacher Alciatus had offered him he finally married in 1527 34 He had a close relationship with various influential personalities at the time such as Paracelsus and Erasmus which both attended his wedding with Martha Fuchs in Neuenburg am Rhein 35 on the 25 February 1527 36 In 1528 on Christmas a daughter Ursula was born she died early on the 20 June 1532 36 The daughter Faustina was born in 1530 36 Hans Holbein the Younger was also a guest in his house in Basel and Amerbach was portrayed by him in 1519 16 Later his family became the guardian of various paintings of him 29 In 1533 his son Basilius Amerbach was born His wife Martha and his youngest daughter Esther died when in 1541 42 the plague was raging in Basel 2 On the 5 January 1542 his Esther died 37 After Amerbach s father in law Leonhard Fuchs died in 1546 in Neuenburg Bonifacius Amerbach became the head of the entire Amerbach and Fuchs families 35 He died in April 1562 and was buried at the Monastery St Margarethental de in Basel 2 References Edit a b Merian Wilhelm 1917 Basler Zeitschrift fur Geschichte und Altertumskunde p 144 a b c d e f g Muller Christian 1495 Zum 500 Geburtstag des Bonifacius Amerbach Basler Stadtbuch 1995 www baslerstadtbuch ch in German p 46 Archived from the original on 2019 07 28 Retrieved 2021 04 08 a b Sander Jochen 2005 Hans Holbein Tafelmacher in Basel 1515 1532 Munich Hirmer Publishers p 123 ISBN 3 7774 2375 0 a b c Merian Wilhelm 1917 p 145 Jenny Beat R 1995 Jacob Friesen Holger Jenny Beat R eds Bonifacius Amerbach in German Basel Schwabe Verlag p 35 ISBN 9783796510083 Jenny Beat R 1995 Bonifacius Amerbach p 38 Jenny Beat R 1995 Bonifacius Amerbach pp 38 39 Jenny Beat R 1995 Bonifacius Amerbach p 40 Barral Baron Marie 2016 Rhenanus Beatus Epistulae Beati Rhenani La Correspondance latine et grecque de Beatus Rhenanus de Selestat Edition critique raisonnee avec traduction et commentaire Vol 1 1506 1517 Edite par James Hirstein avec la collaboration de Jean Boes Francois Heim Charles Munier Francis Schlienger Robert Walter et d autres collegues Renaissance and Reformation Renaissance et Reforme in French 39 3 17 doi 10 33137 rr v39i3 27744 ISSN 0034 429X a b Hilgert Earle 1971 Johann Froben and the Basel University Scholars 1513 1523 The Library Quarterly Information Community Policy 41 2 145 doi 10 1086 619934 ISSN 0024 2519 JSTOR 4306069 Jenny Beat R 1995 Bonifacius Amerbach p 43 Holger Jacob Friesen 1995 Bonifacius Amerbach p 56 Jacob Friesen Holger 1995 Bonifacius Amerbach p 56 Jenny Beat R 1995 Bonifacius Amerbach p 54 a b c d e f g h i von Scarpatetti Beat Amerbach Bonifacius Historical Dictionary of Switzerland in German Archived from the original on 2019 07 30 Retrieved 2021 04 08 a b Muller Christian 2006 Hans Holbein the Younger The Basel Years 1515 1532 Prestel p 38 ISBN 978 3 7913 3580 3 Jacob Friesen Holger 1995 Bonifacius Amerbach p 56 Die Malerfamilie Holbein in Basel Kunstmuseum Basel 1960 p 180 Kisch Guido 1962 Die Anfange der Juristischen Fakultat der Universitat Basel 1459 1529 in German Basel Helbing amp Lichtenhahn p 112 a b c Hartmann Alfred Amerbach Bonifacius Deutsche Biographie Deutsche Biographie in German Archived from the original on 2016 07 02 Retrieved 2021 04 08 a b Teuteberg Rene 1986 Basler Geschichte in German Christoph Merian Verlag p 217 ISBN 978 3 85616 027 2 Der Aufstieg der Romanistik im 16 Jahrhundert unigeschichte unibas ch Retrieved 2021 04 08 Jenny Beat Rudolf 2001 Die Beziehungen der Familie Amerbach zur Basler Kartause und die Amerbachsche Grabkapelle daselbst PDF edoc unibas ch University of Basel p 269 Archived PDF from the original on 2018 11 03 Retrieved 15 April 2021 a b c Gilmore Myron P 1961 The Jurisprudence of Humanism Traditio 17 497 doi 10 1017 S0362152900008618 ISSN 0362 1529 JSTOR 27830438 S2CID 152112635 Gilmore Myron P 1961 p 500 Die Malerfamilie Holbein in Basel Kunstmuseum Basel 1960 p 173 Wilson Derek 1996 p 42 Wilson Derek 1996 Hans Holbein Portrait of an Unknown Man p 161 ISBN 978 0 297 81561 7 a b Acs Pal 2013 Holbein s Dead Christ in Basel and the Radical Reformation The Hungarian Historical Review 2 1 75 ISSN 2063 8647 JSTOR 42568691 Merian Wilhelm 1917 p 152 Merian Wilhelm 1917 p 146 a b Braungart Wolfgang 1988 p 291 Braungart Wolfgang 1988 Kunst Besitzindividualismus das Amerbachsche Kunstkabinett und die Entstehung der fruhneuzeitlichen Kunstkammer Unsere Kunstdenkmaler Mitteilungsblatt fur die Mitglieder der Gesellschaft fur Schweizerische Kunstgeschichte 39 289 via E Periodica a b Jenny Beat R Jacob Friesen Holger 1995 Bonifacius Amerbach p 51 a b Stadt Neuenburg am Rhein Neuer Name fur ein altes Haus Wer ist Bonifacius Amerbach www neuenburg de Retrieved 2021 04 08 a b c Jenny Beat R 1995 Bonifacius Amerbach pp 62 63 Jenny Beat R 1995 Bonifacius Amerbach p 36External links Edit nbsp Media related to Bonifacius Amerbach at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bonifacius Amerbach amp oldid 1172790875, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
