Rodolphus Agricola - Biography

Biography

Born at Baflo, in the Dutch province of Groningen, Agricola was originally named Roelof Huusman.

Educated first by the celebrated school of St. Maarten in Groningen, he matriculated at the universities of Erfurt (BA in 1458) and Louvain (MA in 1465), where he won renown for the purity of his Latin and his skill in disputation. He concentrated his studies on Cicero and Quintilian, and during his university years added French and Greek to his ever-growing list of languages. At the end of his life, he was to learn Hebrew in order to be able to read the Old Testament and especially the Psalms unadulterated by translation.

In the 1460s, Agricola travelled to Italy, where he associated with humanist masters and statesmen. From 1468 (?)-1475, he studied civil law at the university of Pavia, and later went to Ferrara (1475–1479), where he became the protégé of Prince d'Este of Ferrara, was a pupil of Theodor Gaza and attended lectures by the famous Battista Guarino. He devoted himself wholly to the study of classical texts. He won renown for the elegance of his Latin style and his knowledge of philosophy. Also while in Ferrara he was formally employed as the organist to the ducal chapel, which was one of the most opulent musical establishments in Europe. He held that post until 1479, after which he returned to the North to become secretary to the city of Groningen. Here at the Cistercian Abbey of St Bernard at Aduard near Groningen and at 's-Heerenbergh near Emmerich in the south-east he was at the centre of a group of scholars and humanists with whom he kept a lively correspondence. Among his correspondents are the musician and choirmaster of Antwerp, Jacobus Barbirianus (Barbireau), Alexander Hegius von Heek, rector of the Latin school at Deventer (of Erasmian fame), and the humanist scholar and later famed student of Hebrew, Johannes Reuchlin.

In 1470, he taught a deaf child how to communicate orally and in writing. De inventione dialectica documents this pioneering educational effort.

Once in Germany again, he spent time in Dillingen, where he continued to correspond with humanist friends and colleagues throughout Europe, promoting interest in his project to promote the study of classical learning and the studia humanitatis. He remained an independent scholar, unattached to a university or religious establishment - this independence became a hallmark of humanist scholars. In Dillingen Agricola in 1479 completed his De inventione dialectica (On Dialectical Invention), which argued for the precise application of loci in scholarly argumentation.

From 1480 to 1484 he is secretary of the city of Groningen.

In 1481, Agricola spent six months in Brussels at the court of archduke Maximilian (later Maximilian I, the Holy Roman Emperor). Friends attempted to dissuade him from accepting the archduke's patronage; they were afraid the archduke's influence would undermine his philosophical ideals. He also declined the offer to become head of a Latin school at Antwerp.

In 1484, Agricola moved to Heidelberg by invitation of Johann von Dalberg, the Bishop of Worms. The two men had met in Pavia, and they became close friends in Heidelberg. The bishop was a generous benefactor of learning. At this time Agricola began studying Hebrew, and he is said to have published an original translation of the Psalms. In 1485, Dalberg was sent as an ambassador to Pope Innocent VIII in Rome. Agricola accompanied him and was struck gravely ill on their journey.

He died shortly after their return to Heidelberg. Ermolao Barbaro composed an epitaph for him.