Sleidanus

Johannes Sleidanus or Sleidan (1506 – 31 October 1556) was a Luxembourgeois historian and annalist of the Reformation.

He was born at Schleiden, then part of the duchy of Luxembourg, an element of the Spanish Netherlands (not far from Aachen). He studied ancient languages and literatures at Liège and Cologne, and law and jurisprudence at Paris and Orléans.

Whilst among the humanists of Liège, he had adopted Protestant opinions, and entering the service of Cardinal du Bellay, was employed in the futile negotiations of the French court to make an alliance with the German Protestants against the Emperor Charles V. In 1542 he settled at Strasbourg.

Sleidanus had been accustomed to copy all papers bearing upon the Reformation to which he had access, and Martin Bucer, who had seen his collection, proposed to Philip of Hesse to appoint him historian of the Reformation, giving him a salary and access to all necessary documents. After some delay the heads of the league of Schmalkalden agreed to the proposal, and Sleidanus began his great work, finishing the first volume in 1545.

In that year he was recalled to diplomacy, and went to England in a French embassy to Henry VIII. While there he collected materials for his history. On his return he represented Strasbourg at the diets of Frankfurt and Worms, and went on to Marburg to explore the archives of Philip of Hesse.

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