Louis de Berquin

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Louis de Berquin (* around 1485 in Vieux-Berquin ; † April 17, 1529 in Paris ) was a French humanist, lawyer, civil servant, linguist and reformer.

Live and act

Berquin came from a French noble knightly family in the county of Artois and was born in Vieux-Berquin 11 km southeast of d'Hazebrouk. The year of birth is not certain, it is inferred from the Paris Chronicle, which describes him as a 50-year-old at his last trial. Initially, de Berquin devoted himself to military tasks. From 1509 he enrolled at the University of Orléans, where he studied law until 1512 and obtained an academic doctorate. In 1512 he moved to Paris , where he met leading humanists such as Ignatius von Loyola and François Rabelais . He is recommended to Erasmus of Rotterdam as a capable man and he translated some of his writings into French.

Margaret of Navarre recommended him to King Francis I as secretary. Through the connection with Erasmus, Berquin also got to know the writings of Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon . When he translated Luther's “De votis monasticis” into French in 1523, the Sorbonn doctors accused him of heresy. He was charged and sentenced to imprisonment by the court on August 1st for not wanting to revoke as a supporter of Luther. At the appeal of the king he was released and his writing burned.

When King Francis I was captured in the battle against Emperor Charles V on February 24, 1525 in the Battle of Pavia , he was held by the Spaniards until 1526. During this time, on January 8, Berquin was again sued by the Bishop of Amiens . Heretical content was found in 40 sentences of his writings and he refused to revoke it. Only a letter from the king caused the proceedings to be discontinued.

On March 7, 1529 he was charged again by the parliamentary court. When the verdict was announced on April 16, "to watch the burning of his writings, then get his tongue pierced with a red-hot iron and stay in prison for life," he again turned to his king. This time, however, the king refused to support and the judges converted the sentence into a burn at the stake . The next day the sentence was carried out on Grèveplatz in Paris .

Remembrance day

April 17th in the Evangelical Name Calendar .

literature

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personal data
SURNAME Berquin, Louis de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French humanist, lawyer, civil servant, linguist and reformer
DATE OF BIRTH around 1485
PLACE OF BIRTH Vieux-Berquin
DATE OF DEATH April 17, 1529
Place of death Paris