Comenius
Jan Ámos Komenský (Latinized Comenius) (March 28, 1592 - November 15, 1670) was a Czech teacher, educator and writer, known as teacher of nations. First and foremost he was a Brethren protestant bishop, a religious refugee, a great European and a believer in non-violence.
Comenius was born in Nivnice, Moravia. He studied at Herborn in Hesse and at Heidelberg. He was greatly influenced by his teachers Johann Piscator, Heinrich Gutberleth and particularly Heinrich Alsted. The Herborn school held the principle that every theory has to be functional in practical use, therefore has to be didactic, that means morally instructive.
Comenius became a pastor at age 24 and led the Brethren into exile when the protestants were persecuted under the counter-reformation. Comenius lived and worked in many different countries in Europe, among them Sweden, Poland, Transylvania, Germany, Prussia, England, Netherlands. Comenius took refuge in Lissa, where he lead the gymnasium, then to Sweden to work with queen Christina and the chancellor Oxenstierna. From 1642-1648 he went to Elbing in Prussia ,then to England with the aid of Samuel Hartlib, who came originally from Elbing. Comenius went again to Lissa and declared his support for the protestant Swedish side, thereby his house, his manuscripts and the school's printing press were burned down by Polish partisans in 1656. From there he took refuge in Amsterdam, where he died in 1670.
One of his daughters, Elisabeth, married Peter Figulus from Danzig. A son, Comenius's grandson, later went to Berlin, where he became the highest official pastor at the court of Brandenburg- Prussia's Frederick I. There he was aided by count Ludwig von Zinzendorf. Zinzendorf was the first successors to Comenius as bishop in the renewed Moravian Brethren society.
Comenius was the author of numerous publications, such as Orbis Pictus (World In Pictures in English) and the Protestant Hymn songbooks (Gesangbuch).
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