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Article: Erasmus, Desiderius
- Article from:
- Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World
- Author:
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ERASMUS, DESIDERIUS
ERASMUS, DESIDERIUS
(1466?
–
1536), Dutch humanist. The illegitimate son of a priest, Erasmus was born in Rotterdam c. 1466. After the premature death of his parents, his guardians persuaded him to enter an Augustinian monastery. On his request he was sent to the Coll
è
ge de Montaigu in Paris in 1495, but he developed a strong distaste for the Scholastic brand of theology taught there and focused on the humanities instead. In 1499 he undertook the first of four journeys to England. The patronage of important men, foremost among them William Warham, archbishop of Canterbury
(c. 1450
–
1532), and the friendship of Thomas More (1478
–
1535) and ...