Jacob (or Jakob, or Jacques) Sturm von Sturmeck (10 August 1489 – 30 October 1553) was a German

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a ...

, one of the preeminent promoters of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

in Germany.

Biography

Sturm was born at

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...

, where his father, Martin Sturm, was a person of some importance. He was educated at the universities of

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...

and

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

, and about 1517 he entered the service of Henry, provost of Strasbourg (d. 1555), a member of the Wittelsbach family. He soon became an adherent of the reformed doctrines, and leaving the service of the provost became a member of the governing body of his native city in 1524. He was responsible for the policy of Strasbourg during the

German Peasants' War The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositi ...

; represented the city at the Diet of Speyer in 1526; and at subsequent Diets gained fame by his ardent championship of its interests. As an advocate of union among the

Protestants Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

he took part in the conference at

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximat ...

in 1529; but when the attempts to close the breach between

Lutherans Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

and Zwinglians failed, he presented the ''Confessio tetrapolitana'', a Zwinglian document, to the Augsburg Diet of 1530. As the representative of Strasbourg Sturm signed the protest which was presented to the Diet of Speyer in 1529, being thus one of the original Protestants. He was on friendly terms with Philip, landgrave of Hesse. Owing largely to his influence, Strasbourg joined the

Schmalkaldic League The Schmalkaldic League (; ; or ) was a military alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. Although created for religious motives soon after the start of the Reformation, its members later came to ...

in 1531. The troops of Strasbourg took the field when the league attacked

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

in 1546; but in February 1547 the citizens were compelled to submit, when Sturm succeeded in securing very favourable terms from the emperor. He was also able to obtain for his native city some modification of the Interim issued from Augsburg in May 1548. Sturm is said to have been in the pay of

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...

, but this seems very unlikely. He founded the Bibliothek in Strasbourg, where he died.

Notes

References

* This work in turn cites: ** H. Baumgarten, ''Jakob Sturm'' (Strasbourg, 1876) ** A. Baum, ''Magistrat und Reformation in Strassburg bis 1529'' (Strasbourg, 1887) ** J. Rathgeber, ''Strassburg im 16 Jahrhundert'' (Stuttgart, 1871) ** ** Jacob Sturm, ''Consolatio ad senatum argentinensem de morte . . . Jacobi Sturmii'' (Strasbourg, 1553) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sturm von Sturmeck, Jacob 1489 births 1553 deaths 16th-century German politicians 16th-century Protestants Politicians from Strasbourg German Protestants People of the Protestant Reformation Heidelberg University alumni University of Freiburg alumni Alsatian nobility Alsatian-German people