Petrus Opmeer (1526–1594) was a Dutch Catholic historian and controversialist. According to his biographer

Valerius Andreas Wouter Dries or Walter Driessens (1588–1655), Latinized Valerius Andreas, was an academic jurist, Hebraist, and historian from the Duchy of Brabant in the Habsburg Netherlands. Life Valerius was born in Dessel on 27 November 1588, the eldest so ...

, Opmeer was a friend of "painters, sculptors and architects", including

Maarten van Heemskerck Maarten van Heemskerck or ''Marten Jacobsz Heemskerk van Veen'' (1 June 1498 - 1 October 1574) was a Dutch portrait and religious painter, who spent most of his career in Haarlem. He was a pupil of Jan van Scorel, and adopted his teacher's Itali ...

, Pieter Aertsen,

Willem Danielsz van Tetrode Willem Danielsz. van Tetrode, known in Italy as Guglielmo Fiammingo (before c. 1530, Delft — after 1587), was a sixteenth-century sculptor of Dutch origin who served as a pupil of Benvenuto Cellini in Florence. On his return to Delft in the Net ...

Frans Floris Frans Floris, Frans Floris the Elder or Frans Floris de Vriendt (17 April 15191 October 1570) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman, print artist and tapestry designer. He is mainly known for his history paintings, allegorical scenes and portraits.< ...

, Antonis Mor and

Philip Galle Philip (or Philips) Galle (1537 – March 1612) was a Dutch publisher, best known for publishing old master prints, which he also produced as designer and engraver. He is especially known for his reproductive engravings of paintings. Life Galle ...

Life

Petrus was born in Amsterdam on 13 September 1526, the son of Pieter van Opmeer and Maria van Akersloot. Throughout his life he demonstrated a great love of learning, and had the family resources to pursue his interests. He was initially educated in Amsterdam at the school run by Alard van Amsterdam and Nicolaas Cannius, spent time in

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

, and went to

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

to learn French and mathematics. At the age of 19 he married Sophia Sasbout, and went to

Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...

to study Greek with Petrus Resenius, rector of the Latin school. He was studying civil and canon law at

Leuven University KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

when the

Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) (Historiography of the Eighty Years' War#Name and periodisation, c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and t ...

broke out, prompting him to switch to theology. After the murder of

Cornelis Musius Cornelis Musius (1500–1572) was a Dutch Catholic priest and Neo-Latin poet. He was the last rector of the Sint Agathaklooster in Delft, until hanged without due process on 10 or 11 December 1572. Although never officially canonised, he has lon ...

, Opmeer offered his services to the Army of Flanders, and was appointed secretary to the Council of War by

Francisco de Valdez Francisco Valdez (1522? – 1580?) was a Spanish general during the Eighty Years War. He had command over the besieging forces of the Army of Flanders during the Siege of Leiden commencing in 1573 and led the failed attack on the city of Delft ...

. After the Siege of Leiden he returned to his native Amsterdam until the city was lost to the rebels in 1578 and Catholic worship was prohibited. He then moved to Delft and lived there the rest of his life, dying on 4 November 1594 and being buried in the Oude Kerk. His son, Petrus Opmeer the Younger, published a number of his writings posthumously.

A. J. van der Aa Abraham Jacob van der Aa (7 December 1792, Amsterdam – 21 March 1857, Gorinchem) was a Dutch writer best known for his dictionaries, one of notable people and the other of notable places in the Netherlands. He was born in Amsterdam in 1792. ...

, ''Biografisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden'' 14 (Haarlem, 1867), 182-185.

Writings

* Vincent of Lérins, ''Een seer schoon boecxken voor die outheijt ende waerheijt des gemeene christen gheloofs, teghens die Godloose niewicheijden alder ketterijen'', translated by Petrus Opmeer (Haarlem, 1561) *''Officium Missae apud Ecclesiam tempori quatuor primorum conciliorum generalium in usu fuisse historica Assertio'' (Antwerp,

Plantin Press The Plantin Press at Antwerp was one of the focal centers of the fine printed book in the 16th century. History Christophe Plantin (c. 1520–1589) of Touraine was trained as a bookbinder. He fled from Paris where at least one printer had rece ...

for Simon Pauli of Delft, 1570) *''Responsio ad VIII articulos, a Leone Empacio, adversus Assertionem suam propositos'' (Antwerp, Plantin Press, 1570) *''Opus chronographicum orbis universi a mundi exordio usque ad annum 1611'', volume 1 (Antwerp, 1611). The second volume was the work of

Laurentius Beyerlinck Lawrence Beyerlinck (April 1578, Antwerp – 22 June 1627, Antwerp) was a Belgian theologian and ecclesiastical writer and encyclopedist. Life The son of a pharmacist, he prepared at Leuven for the same profession but, deciding to enter the pries ...

. *''Historia Martyrum Batavicorum sive Defectionis a fide Maiorum Hollandiae initia'' (Cologne, 1625) **''Martelaarsboek, ofte historie der Hollantsche martelaren, welken in het christen catholyk geloof en godsdienst, soo ten tijde van de woeste heidenen, als der Hervormde nieugesinden seer wreed sijn omgebragt'' (3 vols., Antwerp, 1700-1702)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Opmeer, Petrus 1526 births 1594 deaths Writers from Amsterdam Martyrologists