Joachim Vadian

Vadianus
Engraving by David Herrliberger from Zurich, 1748, after an older original
Born	Joachim von Watt (1484-11-29)29 November 1484 St. Gallen, Old Swiss Confederacy
Died	6 April 1551(1551-04-06) (aged 66) St. Gallen, Old Swiss Confederacy
Other names	Joachim Vadian
Occupation	Scholar, historian, editor
Known for	Leading Swiss humanist scholar of the sixteenth century

Joachim Vadian (November 29, 1484 – April 6, 1551), born as Joachim von Watt, was a Swiss humanist, scholar, mayor and Reformed reformer in St. Gallen.

Vadian was born in St. Gallen into a family of wealthy and influential linen merchants. After having gone to school in St. Gallen, he moved to Vienna at the end of 1501, where he took up studies at faculty of arts the university, in particular under Conrad Celtis and Matthias Qualle.

In Vienna, he changed his name to "Joachimus Vadianus"; like so many other humanists, he preferred a Latin name to express his admiration for the classic masters. He evaded the outbreak of the bubonic plague of 1506/07 by moving to Villach where he worked as a teacher and studied music. A study trip through northern Italy brought him to Trent, Venice, and Padua, where he met the Irish scholar Mauritius Hibernicus.

In 1509 completed his studies with the degree of Master of Arts and returned for a short while to St. Gallen, where he studied the scriptures in the library of the abbey of St. Gall. He returned to Vienna, where he had some success as a writer. From 1512 on, he held the chair of poetry at the university of Vienna—he had gained some reputation as the author of Latin poems. In 1513, he visited Buda, and the following year, he was named poeta laureatus by emperor Maximilian I. In 1516, he was even named a Dean of the University of Vienna.