PIRKHEIMER (Pirckheimer), Willibald. - Notable German humanist, born at Eichstätt on 5 Dec. 1470, died at Nuremberg on 22 Dec. 1530.
He attended the University of Padua (1489) for Greek studies, and that of Pavia (1482) for law. He made several journeys, thereby forming extensive friendships with the scholars of his day. Having settled in Nuremberg, a free imperial city and centre of high culture, he gathered in his home—soon renowned as a hospitium eruditorum—a museum of antiquities and a large classical library. He was a particular friend of Dürer. With the most celebrated humanists of the time he maintained an extensive correspondence. From 1496 until his death he was also a councillor of the city and took a lively part in its political life during this turbulent period. At first he favoured Luther’s reform, but as early as 1524, seeing its political and religious consequences, he became its satirical opponent. He gave strong support to his sister Charitas, abbess of the Poor Clares.
He published many works, including *Germania ex variis scriptoribus perversis explicatio*, which went through many editions; against Œcolampadius: *De vero Christi carne et sanguine ad J. Œcolampadium responsio* (1526); a description of the Swiss war in which he had taken part; and he left an autobiography. He also published many works of the Fathers (St Fulgentius and St Gregory Nazianzen) and of the classics (Isocrates, Plutarch, Plato, Lucian, etc.). His *Opera omnia* first appeared in 1610 (Frankfurt), and after further editions, recently in 1934 in 3 vols. by E. Reicke and A. Reimann.