Jakob Jakobeus

Jakob Jakobeus (also spelled Jakub Jakobeus) was a Slovak writer, historian, and poet. He lived from 1591-1645.

Biography

Jakobeus was born to a bourgeois family in Kutná Hora, Bohemia, modern day Czech Republic. He completed his education at Charles University in Prague. In 1618 he was ordained a Protestant priest. Due to him being Protestant, he was forced to leave Bohemia when Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, a devout Catholic, expelled all Protestants from Bohemia following his victory at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620. He chose to flee to Saxony, which was a mainly Protestant area. In 1624, he left Saxony and moved to his ancestral land, Hungary, where he spent the remainder of his life. While in Hungary he worked as a teacher and spiritual guide. He died in 1645 in Eperjes (now Presov), Hungary.

Writings

Jakobeus, being a prolific writer, wrote many books. Like most other learned men of his day, he was fluent in Latin, and he wrote many works in Latin. Whilst in Soľ, Slovakia, he wrote a collection of poetry in Latin.