Poet College

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Imperial eagle with allegories from the Collegium poetarum et mathematicorum . Double-headed eagle with poets' wreaths, fountain (Musenquell Hippokrene, designed like a fountain of life / youth), 9 muses, philosophy with the 7 liberal arts, below the sleeping Paris and the approaching Mercury ( Hans Burgkmair the Elder , before 1508)

The Collegium poetarum et mathematicorum , in German school of the poet and mathematician , shortly poet college or poets College , was a learning community to promote humanistic education. This college was founded in 1501 by the Roman-German King Maximilian I on the initiative of the poet Conrad Celtis at the University of Vienna as an alternative to studying at the traditional artist faculty . It had four chairs: for poetics and rhetoric and two for mathematical and scientific subjects; the graduates were to be crowned poets.

The death of the initiator and head of Celtis in 1508 created a critical situation for this poets' college, but several indications indicate that it continued to exist and was only integrated into the artist faculty in the 1530s through the university reforms of King Ferdinand I.

Early humanistic approaches in Vienna

As early as the 15th century, several scholars campaigned for “humanistic studies” to be established at the University of Vienna. They used their contacts to the Viennese court for this; For example, the learned humanist and later Pope Enea Silvio Piccolomini was in the service of Emperor Friedrich III. , from which he was crowned " poeta laureatus ". Piccolomini was a guest lecturer at the University of Vienna in 1445.

The Habsburgs had as these from the Habsburgs to Vienna University a special relationship I. Rudolf had been established. Archduke Maximilian, the son of Friedrich III., Pursued his concern to provide influence at the University of Vienna for humanism, which is considered “modern”. In 1494 he set up a paid specialist reading for Roman law and filled it with the appointment of the Venetian Girolamo Balbi . He was also supposed to teach poetics at the artist faculty - as a crowned poet he was considered competent in this field as well. There were several influential humanists at Maximilian's court: Johann Fuchsmagen, Johann Krachenberger and Bernhard Perger. You were involved in the fact that Konrad Celtis was called to Vienna in 1497 and received a specialist reading for poetics and rhetoric .

The University of Vienna was in the tradition of scholasticism . In addition to differences in content, there were other differences between this and humanism: the university viewed itself as an independent organization. The humanists received professorships well paid by the sovereigns, which of course meant a dependency (the crowned poet was virtually a privileged outsider). The humanistic teaching program was generally imposed by the rulers of the university. The humanists tended towards a secular lifestyle, while at the scholastic university monastery-like, clerical forms of life dominated. Sometimes there were violent arguments; the humanists idealized classical Latin and polemicized against the “barbaric culinary Latin ” of the scholastics.

Foundation and opening of the Poet College

Through the initiative of Konrad Celtis, the Poet College was founded as a "humanist school". The foundation letter, which was probably formulated in Latin by Celtis himself and which is also to be regarded as the founding charter, was signed by Archduke Maximilian on October 31, 1501 in Bolzano (for the content see the appendix below). It says that the establishment of the college to expand the university (“pro… universitatis nostrae augmento”) is intended and that this should therefore be part of the university, whereby there is no clear classification into the traditional university structures. For example, it is not said that the college is its own faculty, but also that it is not assigned to a specific faculty. So it had a privileged exceptional position outside of the faculty regulations. The fact that this college was assigned to the university without being classified in the traditional structures makes it difficult to grasp the type of this new institution. Various comparisons were used for this college: university (because it is quite independent from the university's processes), faculty (as a fifth faculty or as a fourth upper faculty), ( Senate ) institute, academy, master’s college .

The letter also explains that the "collegium poetarum" is intended to restore the ancient eloquence that was lost in earlier centuries. The shorter name “Collegium poetarum” can be found in this pen letter and on the still preserved silver seal stamp . The rarer long form "Collegium poetarum et mathematicorum" is occasionally detectable; it aptly expresses the intentions of Celtis and also corresponds to the actual shape of this institution, because four salaried subject lectures were set up: for poetics and rhetoric (“in poetica et oratoria”) and two more “for mathematical subjects” (“in mathematicis disciplinis ") .

The new college was opened on February 1, 1502. Vincenz Lang gave an eulogy (with the title Panegyricus ) on Maximilian I because he had founded the "Collegium poetarum et mathematicorum" in Vienna, which is referred to here by the long name. Lang mentions the planned content: The poet (Latin: "vates") stands next to the speaker ( Latin orator ). And the mathematician conveys the work of Euclid (this means geometry above all ), Vitruvius (for architecture ) and Ptolemy (for astronomy , perhaps also for astrology ).

Classrooms as well as living rooms of members of the Poetenkolleg (i.e. teachers and students) should be located in the Neubergerhof near the chapel “St. Anna “near the university.

A woodcut by Hans Burgkmair shows the INSIGNIA POETARUM : Above the scepter, below the laurel crown, in between from left to right: ring, biretta, seal (with the inscription: SIGILLUM COLLEGII POETARUM VIENNAE ).

As head of the college, Celtis had the right to coronate poets, to be awarded the degree of poeta laureatus . However, it is uncertain whether a large number of graduates were actually crowned poets. This is only known to a few individuals: Stabius 1502 or Thomas Resch (Velocianus) 1504. In any case, the coronation of poets as a degree - as well as the frequent use of the shorter name "Collegium poetarum" - refers to the special importance of the linguistic subjects at this poet college. The mathematical and natural sciences, on the other hand, tend to complement the poetic and rhetorical core of the college.

A single-leaf woodcut by Hans Burgkmair was probably intended to spread the concerns of the Poetenkolleg. The woodcut depicts the insignia of the Poet College used at the ceremonial coronation of the poets (see illustration).

Sons from higher social classes studied at the Poetenkolleg: Their parents belonged to the nobility, to the higher civil service and to the urban patriciate. Some students were older than their teachers.

The Poet College is to be distinguished from the Danube Society (" Sodalitas litteraria Danubiana"), a loose association of humanistic scholars. It was also initiated by Celtis, perhaps inspired by the Accademia Romana of Julius Pomponius Laetus in Rome, which he had met on his trip to Italy. There were close personal ties between this sodalitas and the college; For teachers and students of the college, the more informal, probably evenings meetings within the framework of Sodalitas were a good addition to their efforts.

The teachers and their subjects at the Poet College

Several teachers are known to have worked at the Poet College, others can only assume this. The duration of the respective teaching activity can often not be determined exactly. When attempting a reconstruction, a framework of names and dates emerges with some gaps - perhaps due to the temporary vacancy of chairs.

So there were two specialist lectures for poetics (poetry) and rhetoric (eloquence). The first professors were Celtis († 1508) for poetics and Vincenz Lang († 1502) for rhetoric. Her successors are likely to have been Johannes Cuspinian († 1529) and Angelus Cospus. Joachim Vadian was a professor of poetics, perhaps after his coronation as a poet in 1514; he left Vienna in 1518. In that year Philipp Gundel succeeded him.

Celtis held around 1504 a lecture on the geography of Ptolemy , that is a rather belonging to the natural sciences area. He explained this work using the three languages ​​Greek, Latin and German. At that time, the German language was not normally used in university teaching.

There were also the two specialist lectures for mathematical disciplines, i.e. H. Mathematics and application areas such as astronomy and cartography. The first owners were probably Johannes Stabius († 1522) and Andreas Stiborius († 1515). Here are some information from Georg Tannstetter in his review of the Viennese mathematicians (" Viri Mathematici "). It says that Maximilian I admired the genius of Stabius and Stiborius and therefore introduced a new scholarship to enable public lectures in astronomy and mathematics in Vienna. It can also be read that Stiborius "taught mathematics publicly for many years". Perhaps Stiborius concentrated on mathematics, while Stabius concentrated on mathematical applications (such as cartography ). But the word “mathematics” was often not used in today's narrow sense, but often also meant the scientific fields of application.

Originally, two mathematical professorships were planned for the Faculty of Artes. There were then disputes about these two chairs, perhaps because Celtis tried to win them over to his poet college. In any case, there is little to be noted in the files of the Artes Faculty that the presumed holders of these chairs taught there on such topics. This is a possible indication that these two chairs were finally assigned to the Poet College. In any case, these were probably the first mathematical professorships at a university.

It is unknown how long Stabius and Stiborius held their chairs. Tannstetter reports the following about two later teachers: With regard to Johannes Fabricius, Tannstetter says that he was his colleague and full professor for the other, the astronomical lecture, while Tannstetter himself, due to the appointment of Emperor Maximilian I, the chair for mathematical subjects held. However, this does not have to mean that Tannstetter's field was mathematics in the narrower sense, because he was above all an astronomer (and astrologer), while mathematics in the present-day sense took up little space in his publications, for example in the textbooks printed for students. Fabricius was a professor, but probably no longer in 1514. Stephanus Rosinus from Augsburg († after 1533) was probably also the holder of a mathematics chair. Georg Tannstetter was the owner from around 1510 and remained so until the end of 1528. His successor was Johannes Vögelin († 1549). Andreas Perlach († 1551) held a chair after 1514.

Such references to holders of chairs that were established at the Poetenkolleg are an argument for the fact that this Poetenkolleg outlived the death of Celtis.

The so-called Celtis box for storing the insignia of the Poet College

Testament of Konrad Celtis (1508)

Konrad Celtis died on February 4th, 1508. Shortly before that, on January 24th, 1508, he drew up his will. The original will is lost, but there are two copies. Celtis bequeathed his books, the insignia of the Poet College and the right to the coronation of poets to the university. In these provisions an uncertainty about the continued existence of the Poet College may be expressed.

After the death of Celtis in 1508, the so-called "Celtis box" was built to store the insignia (see illustration). This box, as well as the silver seal stamp (the technical term for it is “Typar”) - the only one of the insignia to have survived - is kept in the archives of the University of Vienna .

Thesis of the continued existence into the 1530s

For a long time, historians were of the opinion that the Poet College only existed until Celtis fell ill or at most until he died, i.e. only for a few years in total. But there are several indications that this college of poets will continue after the death of Celtis. As mentioned, there are indications that some teachers in Vienna were permanently paid for subjects that belonged to the Poetenkolleg, while at the same time these teachers were hardly mentioned in the files of the artist faculty (which, however, especially with the distribution of the courses corresponding to the courses Books, would be expected).

In the decades after 1500, a surprising development occurred at the University of Vienna: the number of students increased, while the number of academic bachelor's degrees decreased by a quarter in the decade 1510–1520. The reason for this could be that some of these students studied at the Poet College, where the traditional academic degrees did not exist.

A poem of praise, published in Vienna in 1512 and addressed to Emperor Maximilian I, speaks in favor of continued existence. It bears the title Panegyris and describes the subjects of the four faculties of the University of Vienna, starting with the subjects of the artist faculty to law and medicine . Before theology , poetry and the graduation of a poet's coronation are inserted, a reference to the poetry college initiated by Maximilian. The author of this poem, Adrian Wolfhard from Transylvania , studied in Vienna from 1509. If he wants to recognize Emperor Maximilian as a promoter of science and literature by describing the subjects taught at the University of Vienna, then he probably got to know the Poet College in Vienna himself (i.e. in the years 1509 to 1512). After all, a college that was dissolved after a few years and that has not existed for years could not have been used to praise Maximilian.

The 1520s led to a particularly dramatic decline in the number of students at the University of Vienna. During this time there was probably less activity at the Poet College.

There were several reform efforts under Prince Ferdinand I. The attempt at reform in 1524 mentioned the college of poets: "collegium pro poetica et oratoria" - it should "maintain its strength in all its contents, points and articles". That sounds more like a poets college that was still active at the time. After all, in the Reform Act of September 15, 1537, the subjects of the Poet College appear as lectures in the artist faculty.

Later humanistic institutions

The Wiener Poetenkolleg preceded other comparable institutions north of the Alps by decades. In 1518 the Collegium trilingue (or Collegium Buslidianum ) began in Leuven on the basis of the will of Hieronymus (also called Jeroen or Jérôme) van Busleyden, who had died the year before.

The Collège de France, founded in Paris in 1530, was initiated by Guillaume Budé . And in 1539/40 a foundation called Collegium trilingue was established by Bishop Johann Fabri near St. Nicholas in Vienna.

Appendix: Summary of the charter of incorporation from 1501

This document, signed by the later Emperor Maximilian, but presumably formulated by Celtis - from Maximilian's point of view, i.e. in the majestic plural - is the most detailed original source on the Vienna Poet College. A short German version follows; important terms and formulations are given in brackets with the corresponding Latin words in italics.

“Maximilian, King of the Romans.

We consider it important that we set up universities (grammar schools ) for Roman literature (Romanarum literarum) . We arranged lectures on civil law (civilis juris lectionibus) at our Vienna University , but not yet on poetics and rhetoric (poetica et oratoria arte) . To enlarge this university of ours (pro ipsius Universitatis nostrae augmento) we have decided to establish a college of poets (collegium poetarum) there (erigere) , in the style of the earlier emperors, our predecessors, and to restore the old eloquence (eloquentiam restituere) . We therefore assign to this college two scholars (duos eruditos) for poetics and rhetoric (in poetica et oratoria) and two for mathematics subjects (duos in mathematicis disciplinis) . The one appointed by us as a full professor of poetics (lectorem ordinarium in poetica) should head this college (collegio praeesse) . This we also superintendent (superintendentem) of this college. To the dignity ( dignitat e) of the Vienna University (augendae Wiennensis Universitatis) to be enlarged , this college receives a special privilege (privilegio) from our imperial power of attorney (Caesarea nostra autoritate ) : Anyone studying oratoria and poetics at our University in Vienna (in oratoria et poetica studuerit) and the laurel wreath (lauream) has been carefully checked in the poetarum collegio and is considered suitable, can by Konrad Celtis (Conradum Celtem) , who was led by our father Friedrich III. (Fridericum tertium) was the first among the Germans to be crowned a poet (primum inter germanos laureatum poetam) and is a full professor of poetics and rhetoric (poetices et oratoriae lectorem ordinarium) at our Vienna University , and later by his successors (successores) with to be crowned with the laurel wreath (laurea coronari) . The crowned poet (laureatus) should then be recognized by everyone as a poet (pro poeta) , and he should receive all the privileges and awards (privilegiis et insignibus) of the other crowned poets (poetae laureati) , just as if he were to lose this dignity from our hands would have received. For this purpose, we give the teaching ordinary poet (legenti poetae ordinario) the authority (autoritatem) through the present document (tenore praesentium ) . We still have the right to crown poets.

Testified (testimonio) with this letter (literarum) , secured by our usual seal (sigilli nostri consueti) . Given in our city of Bolzano on October 31, 1501. "

literature

  • Joseph Ritter von Aschbach : The Vienna University and its humanists in the age of Emperor Maximilian I ( History of the University of Vienna ; 2). Vienna 1877, esp. Pp. 61–82, 247–249, 442–446.
  • Gustav Bauch : The Reception of Humanism in Vienna. Breslau 1903 (reprint Aalen 1986), esp. Pp. 117-170.
  • Franz Graf-Stuhlhofer : Humanism between court and university. Georg Tannstetter (Collimitius) and his scientific environment in Vienna in the early 16th century (= publication series of the University Archives, University of Vienna ; 8). Vienna 1996, pp. 44-71.
  • Franz Graf-Stuhlhofer: The continuation of the Vienna Poet College after the death of Konrad Celtis in 1508. A pioneering humanistic institution and its working environment. In: Journal for Historical Research 26, 1999, pp. 393–407.
  • Franz Graf-Stuhlhofer: Latin school of poets. The Collegium poetarum of Konrad Celtis from 1501 to 1537. In: Graz contributions. Journal for Classical Classical Studies 22 (1998) pp. 211–214.
  • Rudolf Kink: History of the Imperial University of Vienna , Vol. 1, Part 1: Historical presentation of the origins and development of the university up to modern times. Vienna 1854, pp. 199-270; Vol. 2: Statutes of the university . Vienna 1854.
  • Kurt Mühlberger : Poet College and Coronation of Poets in Vienna. In: Images - Data - Promotions. Studies on doctoral studies at German universities in the early modern period , ed. by Rainer A. Müller †, arr. by Hans-Christoph Liess, Rüdiger vom Bruch (= Pallas Athene. Contributions to the history of universities and science ; 24). Stuttgart 2007, pp. 84–119 (current research status).
  • Kurt Mühlberger: Comments on the Vienna Poet College. In: City Archives and City History. Research and innovations (= Historical Yearbook of the City of Linz 2003/04 ). Linz 2004, pp. 763–778, online (PDF; 152 kB) in the forum OoeGeschichte.at.

Remarks

  1. ^ Alfred A. Strnad: The reception of humanism and renaissance in Vienna . In: Winfried Eberhard, Alfred A. Strnad (eds.): Humanism and Renaissance in East Central Europe before the Reformation (= research and sources on the church and cultural history of East Germany ; 28). Cologne 1996, pp. 71-135, there 80f.
  2. ↑ Mühlberger: Comments on the Wiener Poetenkolleg , 2004, p. 767.
  3. ↑ Strnad: Reception , 1996, p. 109f.
  4. ↑ For example Mühlberger: Poetenkolleg und Dichterkrönung , 2007, chap. The appointment of Konrad Celtis (1497) .
  5. ^ On this Mühlberger: Comments on the Wiener Poetenkolleg , 2004, p. 766.
  6. ^ Helmuth Grössing : Humanist natural science. On the history of the Viennese mathematical schools of the 15th and 16th centuries (= Saecvla Spiritalia ; 8). Baden-Baden 1983, p. 148: “probably designed by Celtis”.
  7. ^ Mühlberger: Comments on the Wiener Poetenkolleg , 2004, pp. 771f; Graf-Stuhlhofer: Humanism between Court and University , 1996, p. 47f.
  8. ↑ Several documents for this long form from 1502 in Mühlberger: Poetenkolleg und Dichterkrönung , 2007, note 2.
  9. ^ Printed by Konrad Celtis: Quattuor libri amorum. Nuremberg 1502, appendix. - In addition Peter Luh: The unfinished work edition of Conrad Celtis and its woodcuts. Frankfurt / M. u. a. 2001, p. 277.
  10. ↑ This information was erroneously referred to by some historians to the St. Anna monastery in Annagasse. What is meant is the St. Anna chapel (according to today's addresses this would be in the Schulerstraße 16, Grünangergasse 1 and Kumpfgasse 2 area). See Felix Czeike : Historisches Lexikon Wien , Volume 4. Vienna 1995, p. 370 f.
  11. ↑ Peter Luh: The "allegorical imperial eagle" by Conrad Celtis and Hans Burgkmair. An advertising leaflet for the Collegium Poetarum et Mathematicorum in Vienna. Peter Lang, Frankfurt / M. 2002.
  12. ↑ Mühlberger: Comments on the Wiener Poetenkolleg , 2004, pp. 771f.
  13. ↑ Mentioned by Mühlberger: Comments on the Wiener Poetenkolleg , 2004, p. 766.
  14. ↑ On the “Sodalitas Collimitiana”, probably a continuation of Celtis' Sodalitas , see Graf-Stuhlhofer: Humanismus between Hof und Universität , 1996, p. 115f. There also references to several publications by Conradin Bonorand , who researched Joachim Vadian's circle of friends - some of which are relevant to Sodalitas.
  15. ↑ Mühlberger: Comments on the Wiener Poetenkolleg , 2004, p. 773.
  16. ↑ So in his announcement, in the epigrams V, 11. According to Grössing: Humanistische Naturwissenschaft , 1983, p. 152.
  17. ^ So Menso Folkerts : Science at the Universities of the Middle Ages . In: Erwin Neuenschwander : Science, Society and Political Power . Basel u. a. 1993, pp. 17-38, there 35.
  18. ↑ These copies are in the Vienna University Archives (Liber Testamentorum Universitatis Viennensis 1504–1551) and in the Freiburg University Library (Klüpfels estate) . Printed by Hans Rupprich (ed.): The exchange of letters of Konrad Celtis (publications of the commission for research into the history of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Humanist letters ; 3). Munich 1934, pp. 604-609 (No. 338).
  19. ↑ The seal field is illustrated and described in Mühlberger: Comments on the Wiener Poetenkolleg , 2004, p. 778.
  20. ↑ Notker Hammerstein (Ed.): Handbuch der deutschen Bildungsgeschichte , Vol. 1: 15th to 17th century . CH Beck, Munich 1996, chap. 6 (by Arno Seifert ), p. 236f: "However, this construction hardly lasted until Celtis' death".
  21. ↑ Grössing: Humanistische Naturwissenschaft , 1983, p. 152f.
  22. ↑ This thesis was put forward by Franz Graf-Stuhlhofer ( Humanism between Hof und Universität , 1996, pp. 50–71) and supported by further arguments by Kurt Mühlberger ( Comments on the Wiener Poetenkolleg , 2004, pp. 772–774).
  23. ↑ For the development of frequencies, see Thomas Maisel: Universitätsbesuch und Studium. At the Vienna Artistic Faculty in the early 16th century . In: Mitteilungen der Österreichische Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftsgeschichte 15 (1995) pp. 1–12.
  24. ↑ Graf-Stuhlhofer: Further existence , 1999, p. 396.
  25. ^ Elisabeth Klecker: Geographia imitatio picturae. Geography as a humanistic leading science using the example of the Panegyris of Adrian Wolfhard. In: Helmuth Grössing, Kurt Mühlberger (ed.): Science and culture at the turn of the ages. Renaissance humanism, natural sciences and everyday university life in the 15th and 16th centuries (= writings from the archives of the University of Vienna ; 15). V&R unipress, Göttingen 2012, pp. 81–100, here p. 93.
  26. ↑ Klecker: Geographia , p. 84. Wolfhard became known as the editor of Janus Pannonius .
  27. ↑ Mühlberger: Comments on the Wiener Poetenkolleg , 2004, p. 773.
  28. ↑ Grössing: Humanistische Naturwissenschaft , 1983, p. 170, speaks of the Wiener Poetenkolleg as "the first humanistic university in Germany".
  29. ↑ Ulrike Denk: Private scholarship foundations at the University of Vienna . In: Mitteilungen der Österreichische Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftsgeschichte 20, 2000, pp. 163–180, here pp. 168–171.
  30. ↑ A translation brings Helmut Engelbrecht : History of the Austrian education system. Education and instruction on the soil of Austria , Volume 1. Vienna 1982, pp. 453–455; there also the Latin text, which was also published by Kink: Universität , Vol. 2 (Statutes) , pp. 305–307 (No. 42). - The original is kept in the Vienna University Archives.
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