April 20, 1494 Birth of Johann Agricola (1494-1566) (original name: Johann Schneider) in Eisleben, Germany (He was a friend and supporter of Martin Luther). Agricola became a strong proponent of the concept that Christian grace replaces the Ten Commandments, which would no longer, then, have force. These views led to a cooling of relations … [Read more...]

April 19, 1560 Death of Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560) (Philipp Schwartzerd) in Wittenberg, Germany. Melanchthon was a friend and enthusiastic supporter of Martin Luther. In 1518 he was appointed at the University of Wittenberg as its first professor of Greek. In 1521 he published Loci communes, a systematic treatment of evangelical … [Read more...]

April 18, 1679 Death of Christian Hofmann von Hofmannswaldau in Breslau, Silesia (now Poland). Hofmannswaldau was one of the leading poets of the Baroque period in German literature. April 18, 1819 Birth of Franz von Suppe in Spalato, Austrian Empire (now in Croatia). Suppe was a conductor and composer of comic operas in Vienna. Among his … [Read more...]

April 17, 1521 Martin Luther makes his first appearance before the Diet in Worms. April 17, 1573 Birth of Maximillian I in Munich, Germany. Maximillian was the Duke of Bavaria and involved in the Thirty Years' War in support of the Catholic cause. Bavaria had fallen into economic chaos when Maximillian came to power in 1597, but he was … [Read more...]

April 16, 1817 Birth of Martin Rudolph von Delbrück in Berlin, Germany. He forged the Prussian free-trade policy in cooperation with Otto von Bismark and was instrumental in convincing the southern German states to join the empire in 1870-71. April 16, 1820 Birth of Georg Curtius in Lübeck, Germany. Curtius was a scholar of Greek language. He … [Read more...]

April 15, 1659 Death of Simon Dach in Königsberg, Prussia (now Russia). Dach was one of the outstanding German Baroque poets. April 15, 1707 Birth of Leonhard Euler in Basel, Switzerland. A mathematician of the Berlin Academy, Euler was one of the originators of pure mathematics. He made significant contributions to geometry, calculus, … [Read more...]

April 14, 1759 Georg Friedrich Händel dies in London (born in Halle, Germany). Among his many great works, the composer is most known for his Messiah (1741), his Water Music (1717) and his Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749). Händel moved to Hamburg in 1703 and was active as a musical performer. In 1705 he presented his first opera Almira. … [Read more...]

April 13, 1111 Heinrich V is crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the Pope in Rome. He ruled starting from 1111 till 1125 and was the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor. By the settlement of the Concordat … [Read more...]

April 12, 1500 Birth of Joachim Camerarius in Bamberg, Germany. Camerarius was a classical scholar who became a friend of Philipp Melanchton at Wittenberg. He was a professor of classics at Tübingen and was later called to reorganize the University of Leipzig. He died on April 17, 1574 in Leipzig. April 12, 1622 Birth of Johann Christian … [Read more...]

April 11, 1370 Birth of Friederich I (also called Friedrich der Streitbare) in Saxony. Friedrich became the elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire. He assisted the emperor, Sigismund in a campaign against the Bohemian adherents of Jan Hus in 1420. April 11, 1741 Birth of Johann Heinrich Merck in Darmstadt, Germany. Merck supported … [Read more...]