NAUCLERUS, JOHN

German humanist and historian; b. probably in Württemberg, c. 1425–30; d. Tübingen, Jan. 5, 1510. Nauclerus (properly Verge or Vergenhans) acted as tutor and counselor for the future Duke Eberhard V of Württemberg from 1450 to 1459, serving also as pastor and canon of Brackenheim. He was provost of Stuttgart (1465–72) and possibly was active at the Universities of Paris and Basel. Nauclerus was instrumental in the founding of the University of tÜbingen (1477) and taught Canon Law there, functioning also as rector and then, from 1483 to 1509, as chancellor and provost.

Around 1504 he wrote Memorabilium omnis aetatis et omnium gentium chronici commentarii, covering the years from the creation of the world to his day. The work divides history into ages and counts 63 generations to the birth of Christ and 51 from Christ to 1501. Written in annalistic style, Nauclerus's history reflects the spiritual attitude of the Middle Ages, unaffected by the humanistic spirit of his own age. It shows a strong predisposition for affairs in his homeland, for Church matters and papal proceedings, but it is a valuable resource for the contemporary period. Unpublished until after Nauclerus's death, the history was edited by melanchthon and printed in Tübingen in 1516. It had such great success that nine editions were printed before 1617. Besides his administrative work and his literary undertakings, Nauclerus was a canon lawyer and sought a compromise between local custom and Canon Law.

Bibliography: Works. De Symonia (Tübingen 1500); Memorabilium … commentarii, 2 v. (Tübingen 1516). Literature. p. joachimsen, Geschichtsauffassung und Geschichtschreibung in Deutschland unter dem Einfluss des Humanismus (Leipzig 1910) 1:91–104. j. w. thompson and b. j. holm, History of Historical Writing, 2 v. (New York 1942) 1:426. h. tÜchle, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiberg 1957–65) 7:845.

[c. r. byerly]