Dirk Martens facts for kids
Dirk Martens (also known as Theodoricus Martinus) was a famous printer and editor who lived a long time ago, from about 1446 or 1447 to 1534. He worked in a place called the County of Flanders, which is now part of Belgium. Dirk Martens was very important because he printed over fifty books by a famous thinker named Erasmus. He also printed the very first edition of Utopia by Thomas More. He was the first person in the Netherlands to print books using Greek and Hebrew letters. In 1856, a statue of Dirk Martens was put up in Aalst, the town where he was born.
Biography of Dirk Martens
Dirk Martens was born in Aalst. His parents were Joos Martens and Johanna de Proost. He had two sisters, Johanna and Margaretha. His family had lived in Aalst for a long time. He was also related to the family of Pieter Coecke van Aalst, a well-known artist. We don't know his exact birth date, but it was likely in 1446 or 1447.
Most of the information about Dirk Martens was lost in 1582. This happened when a monastery in Aalst burned down. This monastery had received Martens' library after he died. He probably went to school there and also spent his last years there.
Around 1471, Dirk Martens likely traveled to Venice, Italy. There, he worked with a scholar named Gerardus de Lisa. This is where Martens learned how to print books. In 1473, he came back to Aalst. He started a printing press with Johan van Westfalen. Their partnership ended in May 1474. After that, Martens became the only printer working in Aalst.
Later, in 1491, Martens printed a book called Doctrinale. This was the first book printed in the Netherlands to include Greek letters. In 1493, he moved to Antwerp. He took over the printing press of Gerard Leeu. He stayed there until May 1497.
Then, he moved to Leuven in June 1497. He set up his printing press across from the University. He returned to Antwerp from 1502 to 1512. After that, he came back to Leuven. He worked there for the rest of his career.
His son, Pieter Martens, took over the press in June 1524. But Pieter died a few months later. So, Dirk Martens started printing again for five more years. He likely stopped working around 1529, when he was about 82 or 83 years old. He then moved back to Aalst. Dirk Martens died on May 28, 1534, when he was around 88 years old. All his children had already passed away by then.
Dirk Martens' Important Work
Dirk Martens printed many important books. These included over fifty books by the famous scholar Erasmus. He also printed the very first edition of Utopia by Thomas More in 1516. He was the first printer in the Netherlands to use Greek letters (in 1491). He was also the first to use Hebrew letters (in 1518).
The first edition of Utopia came out in late December 1516. It was a book of about 400 pages. It included the title page, some blank pages, and a woodcut picture. It also had notes and letters from other scholars who were friends with Martens. These included Pieter Gillis and Gerard Geldenhouwer.
Utopia was a big success right away. It was reprinted in Paris in 1517. Then it was printed again in Basel in 1518 and Florence in 1519. Thomas More had sent his manuscript to Erasmus. Erasmus then asked his usual printer, Martens, to publish it.
Dirk Martens was friends with many important scholars of his time. Erasmus even stayed at Martens' house for four weeks in 1518 to recover from an illness.
Many talented people worked for Dirk Martens. These included Pierre Barbier, a friend of Erasmus. Pieter Gillis, to whom Thomas More dedicated Utopia, also worked there. Between 1515 and 1518, Rutgerus Rescius and Hadrianus Barlandus were part of his team. From 1514 to 1516, Gerard Geldenhouwer worked with Martens. He helped publish Utopia and some of Erasmus's books.
Dirk Martens' Legacy
When Dirk Martens stopped working in 1529, Rutgerus Rescius started his own printing press in Leuven. But the true person who carried on Martens' work was Servaas van Sassen. He was a printer from Diest. Servaas married Dirk Martens' daughter, Barbara. He continued the printing press until 1557. Three of Van Sassen's sons then continued the work after him.
Dirk Martens' work was very important. His publications in Antwerp and Leuven helped the humanistic movement. His efforts also helped the study of Greek and Hebrew languages. His importance is often compared to Christoffel Plantijn. Plantijn was another very famous printer in Antwerp later on.
A statue of Dirk Martens was put up in the main square of Aalst in 1856. Many people believe he was the first printer in Flanders. Five hundred years after he first published a book, two special exhibitions were held. One was at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels. The other was in his hometown of Aalst.
See also
In Spanish: Dirk Martens para niños
