Johann Sommer

Johann Sommer (Latin: Ioannes Sommerus; 1542–1574) was a Transylvanian Saxon Protestant theologian, poet and Despot Vodă's biographer.

Sommer was born in Pirna. In 1562 he enrolled at University of Frankfurt, but did not graduate.[1] Born in Pirna, Sommerus came to Moldavia as secretary to the reforming prince Jacob Heraclides (Despot Vodă), becoming the main figure in the short-lived College of Cotnari (Schola Latina) (1562–1563).[2][3] After the Prince's death in 1563, Sommer and his other supporters had to flee. Sommer moved to Transylvania and led a similar school in Braşov (the one founded by Johannes Honter, the Honterus-Gymnasium in Kronstadt), from 1565 to 1567. While he was rector there he wrote the epic Reges Hungarici.

He moved on to the John Sigismund Unitarian Academy, Kolosvar (1570–1574). According to the 18th-century historian Johann Seivert, he married the daughter of Ferenc Dávid, and this statement was overtaken by many other sources; however, there are no direct proofs of this, and it is in contradiction with more proven facts.[4] He died in Cluj.

  1. ^ Poelchau L. Humanistica Lovaniensia Volume 46 pp182 edited by Jozef Ijsewijn
  2. ^ Juhász István. "Nyugati missziós törekvések a románoknál" (PDF) (in Hungarian). Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
  3. ^ 450 years from the establishment of the Schola Latina Archived 5 November 2013 at archive.today (in Romanian)
  4. ^ Sebesi, Pál (1972). "Újabb adatok Dávid Ferenc családjáról és nemzetiségéről" (PDF). Keresztény Magvető. 78 (1): 36.