Pieter Gillis (28 July 1486 – 6 or 11 November 1533), known by his anglicised name Peter Giles, the gallicized Pierre Gilles and sometimes the Latinised Petrus Ægidius, was a humanist, printer, and secretary to the city of Antwerp in the early sixteenth century.[2] He is most famous as a friend and supporter of Desiderius Erasmus and Thomas More.[3] He seemed to have recommended the painter Hans Holbein the Younger to the court of England, where Thomas More received him delighted.[3]
Peter Giles
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| Born | 28 July 1486 |
| Died | 6 or 11 November 1533 (aged 47)
Antwerp
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| Nationality | Brabantian |
| Other names | Petrus Ægidius, Peter Giles, Peter Gilles, Pierre Gilles |
| Occupation | magistrate of Antwerp[1] |
| Known for | friendship with Sir Thomas More and Erasmus |
| Spouse(s) | Cornelia Sandrien, Maria Denis Adriaensdochter, Kathelijne Draeckx[2] |
Thomas More's Utopia, although fictional, includes Pieter Gillis as a character in Book I. More dedicated Utopia to Gillis, who may have designed the Utopian alphabet. They first met when diplomatic business brought More and Cuthbert Tunstall to Antwerp.[1]
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