Erasmus Timeline

(1466 - 1536)

Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (c. 1466–1536) was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, theologian, and scholar. Known as the 'Prince of the Humanists,' he championed education, critical scholarship, and reform of the Church through his writings, including 'The Praise of Folly' and his Greek New Testament. His ideas laid intellectual groundwork for both the Reformation and modern humanism, though he remained committed to church unity. More Less

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Early Life and Education

Birth of Erasmus in Rotterdam

Oct 28, 1466

Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus was born, likely out of wedlock, to a priest and a physician's daughter in Rotterdam. His illegitimate birth would shape his early life and later influence his satirical writings about clerical corruption.

Image source: Erasmus

Education at the Brothers of the Common Life

1478 - 1484

Erasmus was sent to school with the Brethren of the Common Life at Deventer, where he absorbed the devotio moderna movement's emphasis on inner piety and personal spiritual discipline.

Orphaned by plague

1484

Erasmus's mother died of the plague, followed shortly by his father, leaving him orphaned as a teenager and dependent on guardians who pressured him toward monastic life.

Enters the Augustinian monastery at Steyn

1487

Erasmus entered the Augustinian canons' monastery at Steyn near Gouda, where he was ordained and began his serious engagement with Latin classics, though he later described monastic life with distaste.

Ordained as a Catholic priest

1491

Erasmus was ordained a priest, though he never functioned as one in a parish; he increasingly saw scholarship rather than pastoral ministry as his vocation.

Serves as secretary to the Bishop of Cambrai

1493

Erasmus left the monastery to serve as secretary to Henry of Bergen, Bishop of Cambrai, gaining freedom from convent life and an entry into humanist circles.

Studies theology at the Collège de Montaigu, Paris

1495 - 1499

Erasmus studied scholastic theology in Paris under harsh conditions, developing a lasting dislike for scholasticism and forming friendships that spread his reputation as a rising humanist scholar.

Image source: Collège de Montaigu

Travels and Career

First visit to England and meeting Thomas More

1499

Invited by William Blount, Lord Mountjoy, Erasmus traveled to England, where he met John Colet and Thomas More, beginning lifelong friendships that anchored his connection to English humanism.

Image source: Thomas More

Travels to Italy and receives doctorate at Turin

1506

Erasmus traveled to Italy, receiving a Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of Turin and encountering Italian Renaissance scholars who deepened his philological approach.

Sees Raphael's work in Rome and declines a papal post

1509

In Rome Erasmus was welcomed by leading churchmen and reportedly offered a position by Pope Julius II, but he left for England upon news of Henry VIII's accession, preferring scholarly independence.

Professor of Greek at Cambridge University

1511 - 1515

Erasmus taught Greek at Queens' College, Cambridge, helping introduce the study of Greek to England while working on major editions of classical and biblical texts.

Image source: University of Cambridge

Settles permanently in Basel with Froben press

1521

Erasmus moved to Basel, Switzerland, partnering with printer Johann Froben, making the city Europe's premier center of humanist publishing during his most productive years.

Image source: Basel

Major Works

Adagia first published in Paris

1500

Erasmus published the Adagia (Collectanea), a collection of classical proverbs with commentary, which became enormously popular and grew through expanded editions throughout his life.

Image source: Adagia

Praise of Folly written at Thomas More's home

1509 - 1511

During a stay in London, Erasmus wrote Moriae Encomium (Praise of Folly), a brilliant satire in which Folly herself praises foolishness, mocking superstition, corrupt clergy, and worldly scholars.

Image source: In Praise of Folly

Publication of the Institutio principis Christiani

1516

Erasmus dedicated The Education of a Christian Prince to young Charles V, arguing that rulers should be educated in virtue, peace, and Christian ethics — a foundational text of humanist political thought.

Image source: The Education of a Christian Prince

First printed edition of the Greek New Testament

Mar 1516

Erasmus published the first printed Greek New Testament, Novum Instrumentum omne, in Basel with Johann Froben, revolutionizing biblical study despite textual errors and enabling vernacular translations.

Image source: Novum Instrumentum omne

Publishes Paraphrases on the New Testament

1519 - 1524

Erasmus issued paraphrases of the books of the New Testament, rendering scripture into flowing Latin prose so laypeople could grasp its moral meaning without technical theology.

Image source: Paraphrase of Erasmus

Colloquies published and widely circulated

1519 - 1533

Erasmus expanded his Colloquies, lively dialogues on religion and society that attacked abuses like indulgences and pilgrimages, becoming among the most-read works of the century.

Image source: Colloquies

Publishes Ecclesiastes, on preaching

1535

Erasmus completed Ecclesiastes sive Concionator Evangelicus, a vast manual on preaching that synthesized his lifelong program of renewing Christian teaching through eloquence and scriptural learning.

Reformation and Legacy

Martin Luther launches the Ninety-five Theses

Oct 31, 1517

Luther's protest against indulgences ignited the Reformation; many blamed Erasmus as 'the egg Luther hatched,' though Erasmus insisted reform should come through peaceful scholarship.

Image source: Ninety-five Theses

Erasmus declines to endorse Luther publicly

1520

Despite sympathy for reform, Erasmus refused to join Luther, warning against schism and violence; he sought to remain loyal to the Catholic Church while criticizing its corruptions.

De libero arbitrio debate with Luther begins

Sep 1524

Erasmus published De libero arbitrio defending free will, provoking Luther's fierce reply On the Bondage of the Will; this exchange became the definitive split between Erasmian reform and Lutheran theology.

Image source: Erasmus

Leaves Basel amid the Protestant takeover

1529

When Basel adopted the Reformation and banned Catholic worship, Erasmus moved to Freiburg im Breisgau, remaining formally within the Catholic Church while refusing to condemn reformers harshly.

Declines a cardinal's hat offered by Pope Paul III

1535

Pope Paul III offered Erasmus a cardinalate in hopes of winning his prestige for Catholic reform, but Erasmus declined, citing age and ill health and cherishing his independence.

Death of Erasmus in Basel

Jul 12, 1536

Erasmus died in Basel of dysentery, reportedly saying 'Liever God' ('Dear God'); despite Basel's Reformed government, he was buried with honor in Basel Minster.

Erasmus placed on the Index of Prohibited Books

1559

Pope Paul IV placed Erasmus's works on the Index of Prohibited Books, reflecting how Counter-Reformation authorities viewed his critical writings as dangerously sympathetic to heresy.

Image source: Index Librorum Prohibitorum

Statue of Erasmus erected in Rotterdam

1622

Rotterdam honored its most famous son with a bronze statue by Hendrick de Keyser, the earliest known bronze public statue in the Netherlands, celebrating Erasmus's enduring civic pride.

Image source: Statue of Erasmus

Complete editions of Erasmus's works appear in Leiden

1703 - 1706

The Leiden Opera omnia gathered Erasmus's writings in ten volumes, cementing his status as a foundational figure of European letters studied across confessional boundaries.

New Leiden edition of Erasmus's complete works begun

1969

Scholars began publishing a new critical edition of Erasmus's Opera Omnia in Amsterdam and Leiden, revitalizing modern Erasmus studies and revealing the breadth of his correspondence and scholarship.

Image source: Dutch philosophy

Key Facts

Erasmus was born around 1466 in Rotterdam as an illegitimate son of a priest, which shaped much of his early struggles.
His 1509 satirical work 'In Praise of Folly' criticized corruption in the Church and society while becoming one of the most influential books of the Renaissance.
In 1516, he published the first printed Greek New Testament, a landmark achievement that enabled more accurate biblical scholarship.
Although he advocated reform of the Catholic Church, he disagreed with Martin Luther over free will and never joined the Protestant Reformation.
He died in Basel, Switzerland, in 1536, leaving behind a vast correspondence network that made him one of the most connected intellectuals of his era.

Source

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