Conrad Celtes

Conrad Celtis, Konrad Celtes, surnamed Protucius (* February 1, 1459 in Wipfeld am Main, south of Schweinfurt, † February 4, 1508 in Vienna, buried in St. Stephen's Cathedral ) was a German humanist and poet. The name Celtis is the communication made pursuant humanist tradition Latinization of the family name Bickel or Pyckell, probably after the pimple of the winemaker. In a similar tool the Greek form of the epithet comes back: τύκος ( " chisel " ), extended by the prefix πρό ( "before" ).

• 2.1 Memoriam
• 2.2 inscription on the tomb at St. Stephen's in Vienna

Life and work

Training

Born the son of a vintner, the young Celtis was probably in Würzburg to school and then studied at the University of Cologne, where he in 1479 the Bachelor in the liberal arts acquired and devoted himself to theological studies as without reaching a conclusion here. Criticism he practiced in the training, since neither Latin grammar and rhetoric will still taught mathematics and astronomy. 1482 he undertook an educational trip to Buda, where he contacted the circle of scholars led by Matthias Corvinus.

1484 he went to the University of Heidelberg and took his Artes studies on again, with a focus on poetics and rhetoric. Here, he gained expertise in Greek and Hebrew, and was made as a student of Rudolf Agricola familiar with the humanistic thought and programmatic. The Latinization of his name had been made before, now he was able to put him in Greek after the tria nomina of the Romans. The words are extremely rare, so taught in both languages ​​, with the expansion of the Greek to the prononcierten "pre- Meißler " a claim as the champion of Greek studies represents, who was certainly exaggerated, at least at this time. 1485 graduated from Celtis the master's examination.

In Travel

1486 undertook a second Celtis educational trip to Italy. He exchanged views with scholars Marsilio Ficino, Philip Beroaldus, Pomponius Laetus and Marcus Antonius Sabellicus and deepened in Padua, Ferrara, Bologna, Florence, Venice and Rome his studies.

Subsequently, he taught until 1487 Poetry at the University of Erfurt, the University of Rostock and the University of Leipzig and was on April 18, 1487 at the Nuremberg Reichstag by Emperor Friedrich III. crowned poet laureate.

In the spring of 1489 he traveled through Dalmatia, Croatia and Hungary to Krakow, to attend to at the university of mathematics and astronomy, and founded the Sodalitas Vistulana as the first scientific societies. In the meantime, he went to Prussia and the Vistula country before he came over Prague and Nuremberg to Ingolstadt, where he 1491/92 took an associate professor of rhetoric and poetics.

In the winter of 1492 he took over the leadership of the cathedral school in Regensburg and was 1495/96 Teacher of the sons of the Elector Philip of the Palatinate in Heidelberg.

In Vienna

He spent his last decade of life, predominantly in Vienna, where he was appointed in 1497 by King Maximilian I as " ordained lector " Rhetoric and Poetics.

On his initiative, there was at the university to establish a Collegium poetarum et mathematical corum, a humanistic oriented facility with a total of four teachers: two for poetics and rhetoric as well as two mathematical disciplines. Here the objective of Celtis combination of poetry and natural science becomes visible. As graduation the coronation was scheduled for poets ( laureate per poeta ). In the name of Emperor Maximilian I wrote Memorandum is dated Bolzano 31 October, 1501. As head ( " Superintendent " ) Celtis was provided, it was opened on 1 February 1502. The earlier assumption that this poet College at the latest with Celtis ceased to exist ' death, is now refuted, it existed until about in 1530.

His reputation as a scholar of his time, let him also at the first Baccalaureatspromotion at the newly founded University of Wittenberg participate before 1504 went to Bohemia, where he gathered material for his Germania illustrata.

Services

Celtis, which has been referred to as the German " Erzhumanist ", founded several scientific societies ( sodalities ), so in 1491 the Sodalitas litteraria Rhenana and 1497 Sodalitas litteraria Danubiana. His correspondence is an important source for the scholarly network of German humanism. Celtis one of the few pioneers of Greek in Germany in the late 15th century.

In his lyrical works Celtis Ovid and Horace imitated. The main work of the Quattuor libri amorum may be considered ( " Four books love poems ", Nuremberg 1502). Albrecht Dürer returned to woodcut illustrations. Among other things, a geographical schema is attached Germany, the Bohemia and the Elbe locates in the center of Germany, surrounded by four German cities. In addition, Celtis emerged as Epigrammautor and as author of a poetics ( Ars et versificandi carminum, 1486 ).

Celtis was not only a poet significant, but also as a geographer and editor. He discovered a map of the Roman Empire again, which later received the name of Tabula Peutingeriana. In the monastery of St. Emmeram in Regensburg, he was 1493/94, a manuscript of the Latin works of Roswitha of Gander home, which he published in Nuremberg in 1501 ( Opera Roswithae ). He also worked as a publisher of works of Seneca and the Germania of Tacitus.

Finally, the great project of Germania illustrata be mentioned, which should provide all the scientific knowledge of his time on the history of Germany. Except for the concept came from his posts Germania generalis (1500 ) and the portrait of the city of Nuremberg De origine, situ, moribus et institutis Norimbergae libellus (1502 ). Further studies contributed, inter alia, Johannes Aventinus and Rhenanus.

During the 16th century only a few humanists reached the vibrancy of Celtis ' poems and could hardly compete with the extravagance of his life. Many, however, devoted a large part of their scientific activities of the German national association of religion and reform. To Celtis students included Vincent Long ( Vincent Longinus Eleutherius, † 1503). Celtis died on February 4, 1508 at the age of 49 years to syphilis.

Contemporary testimonies

In Memoriam

Woodcut by Hans Burgkmair the Elder. (according Monogram H · · · B in the bottom center ), 217 × 145 mm, dated 1507 or 1508th image program and texts are by Celtis itself.

As a " death picture" is often called the commemorative sheet that Celtis was creating for his friends when he felt his death approaching. In the design of it is based on the model of Roman grave sculpture, in this form the first time and never repeated. The woodcut was made by Burgkmair after a sketch he had taken in Augsburg and after he has also created a commemorative coin.

The poet is shown with closed eyes and mourning, but in the precious robes of the Poet Laureate. He is sitting in a sheet of two laurel garlands on the banners along squirm, do the meditations on death and the afterlife. In them connects characteristically Christian meditation death with pagan Roman fame thinking. The hands rest on a pile of four books with the short titles of his works, which, however, were largely planned at the time of his death only ( until then had appeared only the book of the Amores ). The "Opera" to posterity in him, " follow ", as the quote from the Book of Revelation ( 14:3) says in bold variation of the actual meaning. Before the image of the author is on a stone balustrade a coat of arms with its Namensinitialien CC and an inscription attached that contains but two couplets to the reader formal information about life and death.

Deductions of the woodcut have survived in three different versions. The first condition was so flawed (one of the banners for example, was reproduced in mirror writing ) that a new edition was produced in the same year. The third state is correct to the year of death VIII ( 1508) instead VII ( 1507); in this version prints were sent to friends.

Inscription on the tomb in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna

Celtis was initially buried on the east side of the north tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral, where today a copy of his grave stone. The original stone from the period around 1515 is now embedded in the interior of the west wall. The inscription reads:

Afterlife

After Celtis the Humanistic Gymnasium in Schweinfurt in 1964 named. Also bear his name streets, including in Munich, Nuremberg and Vienna as well as in his native village Wipfeld.

A bust made ​​by Fidelis Schönlaub found installation in the hall of fame in Munich. The House of Literature Wipfeld houses a permanent exhibition and presented using audio stations excerpts from his work.

Works (selection)

• Ars versificandi et carminum, Leipzig 1486, 1492
• Epitoma in utramque Ciceronis rhetoricam cum arte memorativa nova et modo epistolandi utilissimo, Ingolstadt 1492
• De Mundo of Apuleius, Vienna 1497
• Carmen saeculare, Vienna 1500
• Norinberga, 1495
• Ode to St Sebald, Basel 1495
• Oratio in gymnasio Ingolstadio, 1492
• Germania generalis
• De origine situ, moribus et institutis Norimbergae libellus, 1502
• Quattuor libri amorum ( Amores ), Nuremberg 1502
• Ludus Dianae and Rhapsodia, Augsburg 1505
• Germania illustrata, unfinished
• Archetype triumph antis Romae, unfinished

• Germania of Tacitus, Vienna 1500
• Hrotsvithas writings of Gantersheim, Nuremberg 1501
• Sodalitas Augustana, together with Konrad Peutinger