Richard Hyrde facts for kids

Richard Hyrde (died 1528) was an English scholar, translator, and teacher. He was a close friend of Thomas More and was very interested in the idea of female education during his time.

Who Was Richard Hyrde?

Richard Hyrde was an important figure in the early 1500s. He believed that girls should have the chance to get a good education, just like boys. He worked on translating important books and helped share new ideas about learning.

A Scholar's Journey

Hyrde finished his studies at the University of Oxford in 1518. It's thought that Thomas More might have helped him pay for his education.

Translating Important Books

In the 1520s, Hyrde worked on a big project. He translated a Latin book called De institutione foeminae Christianae by Juan Luis Vives. This translation was asked for by Catherine of Aragon, who was the Queen of England at the time.

Hyrde's translation was printed later, around 1540. It was called The Instruction of a Christen Woman. This book became very popular as a conduct book. A conduct book was like a guide that taught people, especially young women, how to behave and live their lives properly.

Guiding Young Women's Reading

One of the ideas in Vives's book was that women should not read certain types of adventure stories called romances. Vives listed some Latin books, but Hyrde added a list of English ones that he thought women should avoid. These included popular tales like "Parthenope, Genarides, Hippomadon, William and Melyour, Libius and Arthur, Guye, Beuis and others."

Championing Education for Girls

Richard Hyrde also wrote an introduction for another important translation. This was Treatise upon the Pater Noster by Margaret Roper. Margaret was Thomas More's daughter, and she had translated a Latin work by Erasmus. In his introduction, Hyrde strongly argued that women deserved to have a scholarly education.

Thomas More himself was involved in both of Hyrde's projects. He helped check the translation of the Vives book before it was printed. He also helped Margaret Roper get official permission to publish her work through Thomas Wolsey, a powerful figure at the time.

A Diplomat and Physician

Historian R. W. Chambers believed that Richard Hyrde was also a doctor. This might explain why Hyrde knew so much about Greek, a language often studied by doctors back then.

In 1528, Hyrde was part of a special trip to see Pope Clement VII. This trip was a diplomatic mission, meaning it was a formal visit to discuss important matters between countries. The mission was led by Stephen Gardiner and Edward Foxe. Chambers says Hyrde went along as the group's physician. Sadly, Richard Hyrde died in Italy in 1528 from an infectious disease.