BRANT, Sebastian. - German satirical poet and humanist, b. at Strasbourg in 1457 and d. there in 1521. After studying at the University of Basel, he remained there as a lecturer in Roman and canon law until, when Maximilian ceded Basel to Switzerland, he was recalled with great honors to Strasbourg. A learned humanist and distinguished jurist, editor of legal and ecclesiastical texts, he always fought in defense of imperial power and the Catholic Church, threatened by the early signs of the Reformation.
The work that brought him fame is Das Narrenschiff (The Ship of Fools), hailed by Hutten on its appearance (1494) as inaugurating a new literary age. It is, however, nothing more than a recapitulation of all the political and moral ideas of the dying Middle Ages: beneath an easy allegorical veil, all the weaknesses and vices of humanity are deplored, generally provoked by a lack of self-knowledge. Among his other works are S. Bernhards Rosenhrans; Der Heiligen Leben; and a reworking of Freidank.
