Erycius Puteanus
Encyclopedia
Erycius Puteanus was a humanist and philologist from the Low Countries
.
and studied at the schools of Dordrecht
and Cologne
(Collège des Trois-Couronnes), where he took the degree of Master of Arts
, 28 February 1595. He then followed, at Leuven, the lectures on ancient history given by Justus Lipsius
.
In 1597 he travelled to Italy and met scholars, especially Cardinal Federigo Borromeo, through whom he was appointed professor of Latin at the Palatine School of Milan from 1600 to 1606. Then the States of Brabant
offered him the chair left vacant by Lipsius at Leuven.
He taught at the Collegium Trilingue at the University of Leuven
for forty years. He was loaded with favours by reigning princes: the Archduke Albert appointed him his honorary counsellor (1612), and increased his annual pension by 200 ducat
s (1614), adding the reversion of Château-César. At the same time he filled, after 1603, the post of historiographer to Philip IV of Spain
, on behalf of the Milanese, with other appointments. His outspoken language provoked political animosities, and he was almost driven into exile by request of King James I of England
, who wrongly believed him to be the author of an injurious lampoon.
He fathered 17 children, and died in Leuven
.
.
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
.
Life
He was born in VenloVenlo
Venlo is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands, next to the German border. It is situated in the province of Limburg.In 2001, the municipalities of Belfeld and Tegelen were merged into the municipality of Venlo. Tegelen was originally part of the Duchy of Jülich centuries ago,...
and studied at the schools of Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
and Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
(Collège des Trois-Couronnes), where he took the degree of Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
, 28 February 1595. He then followed, at Leuven, the lectures on ancient history given by Justus Lipsius
Justus Lipsius
Justus Lipsius was a Southern-Netherlandish philologist and humanist. Lipsius wrote a series of works designed to revive ancient Stoicism in a form that would be compatible with Christianity. The most famous of these is De Constantia...
.
In 1597 he travelled to Italy and met scholars, especially Cardinal Federigo Borromeo, through whom he was appointed professor of Latin at the Palatine School of Milan from 1600 to 1606. Then the States of Brabant
States of Brabant
The States of Brabant were the representation of the three estates: Nobility, Clergy and Commons to the court of the Duke of Brabant. These three estates were also called the States. Supported by the economic strength of the cities Antwerp, Brussels and Leuven, the States always were an important...
offered him the chair left vacant by Lipsius at Leuven.
He taught at the Collegium Trilingue at the University of Leuven
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
for forty years. He was loaded with favours by reigning princes: the Archduke Albert appointed him his honorary counsellor (1612), and increased his annual pension by 200 ducat
Ducat
The ducat is a gold coin that was used as a trade coin throughout Europe before World War I. Its weight is 3.4909 grams of .986 gold, which is 0.1107 troy ounce, actual gold weight...
s (1614), adding the reversion of Château-César. At the same time he filled, after 1603, the post of historiographer to Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
, on behalf of the Milanese, with other appointments. His outspoken language provoked political animosities, and he was almost driven into exile by request of King James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, who wrongly believed him to be the author of an injurious lampoon.
He fathered 17 children, and died in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
.
Work
Puteanus was an encyclopedist; in one period of his literary activity (1603–19), he detached himself from Lipsius by aiming at personal leadership of a school. He then went back to chronological works. As a philologist some of his dissertations were reproduced in the Thesauri of Grævius and GronoviusGronovius
Gronovius is the name of:* Johann Friedrich Gronovius, né Gronow , German classical scholar and critic, father of Jakob* Jakob Gronovius , Dutch classical scholar, father of Jan Frederik...
.
Editions
For the history of the numerous writings and editions of Erycius Puteanus see- Roersch and Vanderhaegen in Bibliotheca Belgica (1904-5), nos. 166, 167, 168, 171
- Roersch in Biographie Nationale de BelgiqueBiographie Nationale de BelgiqueThe Biographie Nationale de Belgique is the biographical dictionary of Belgium and its predecessor states....
, XVIII (1904) - Simar, Etude sur Erycius Puteanus (Louvain, 1909)