Conrad Lycosthenes (8 August 1518 – 25 March 1561), born Conrad Wolffhart, was an Alsatian humanist and encyclopedist. Deacon of Saint Leonard in Basel, professor of grammar and dialectics, Lycosthenes had a passion for the study of nature and geophysics.
Conrad Wolffhart was born in RouffachinAlsace on 8 August 1518, the son of Theobald Wolffhart and Elizabeth Kürsner, sister of the Protestant theologian Conrad Pellicanus. He later changed his German name, Wolffhart, to the humanist name Lycosthenes.
From 1535 to 1539, Conrad studied philosophyinHeidelberg. In 1542, he left Heidelberg for Basel where he began teaching Grammar and Dialectics. In 1545, at the age of 27, he became Deacon in the Church of Saint-Leonard. On 21 December 1554, he suffered from hemiplegia and lost the ability to use his right hand. He learned to write with his left hand and continued his literary works until his death from apoplexia on 25 March 1561 at the age of 43. In the meantime he had married Chretienne Herbster, sister of the famous Basel book printer Johannes Oporinus (Oporin) and widow of Leonard Zwinger, father of Theodor Zwinger, author of the Theatrum vitae humanae.[1]: 542
One of the numerous polyhistors of the 16th century, Lycosthenes mastered Latin and Greek, and was particularly fond of curiosities. His varied works include editions, translations, and compilations.
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