Hans von Rüte (died 23 March 1558) was a
Bernese dramatist and chronicler of the
Swiss Reformation
The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate, Mark Reust, and the population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matte ...
. His plays for the
Bernese Fasnacht are important contemporary sources for Swiss historiography of the mid-16th century.
Biography
Von Rüte is recorded as acquiring Bernese citizenship in 1528. In the same year he married the former nun Cathrin Hetzel von Lindnach. His origin and earlier biography is unknown. He has variously been identified as a native of
Emmental
The Emmental (, ) is a valley in west-central Switzerland, forming part of the canton of Bern. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the rivers Emme and Ilfis. The region is mostly devoted to farming, particularly dairy farming. The ...
,
Solothurn,
Aarau
Aarau (, ) is a List of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital of the northern Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Aargau. The List of towns in Switzerland, town is also the capital of the d ...
or Berne itself.
In 1531 he was elected into the city council. In 1545 he was found guilty of adultery and lost his office as scrivener, which he was granted again, however, in 1546. In 1555 he was made bailiff at
Zofingen
Zofingen () is a city in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. It is the capital of the district of Zofingen. Zofingen is a walled city and home to an ancient monastic settlement.
History
In ancient times Zofingen was a settlement of the Celtic ...
, where he died in 1558.
Works
Von Rüte's plays are based on biblical narratives. He mocks the Catholic veneration of saints as idolatry, likening the Protestant Reformation to the fight against Canaanite idolatry in the Hebrew Bible. Six plays were printed. A modern edition in three volumes was prepared in 2000.
[
''Sämtliche Dramen in drei Bänden.'' eds. Friedericke Christ-Kutter et al., Paul Haupt, Bern 2000, .]
*''Fasznachtspiel'' (''Abgötterei'', performed 1531, printed 1532)
*''Joseph'' (1538)
*''Gedeon''
ideon(1540)
*''Noe''
oah
The Organization of American Historians (OAH), formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of History of the United States, American history. OAH's membe ...
(1545)
*''Goliath'' (1555)
*''Osterspiel'' (1552)
See also
*
Carnival in Bern
References
*
Jakob Baechtold: 'Rüte, Hans von'. In: ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB). vol. 30, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1890, p. 39.
*Friedericke Christ-Kutter: 'Hans von Rüte. Ein immer noch unbekannter Berner Dichter aus der Reformationszeit'. In: ''Der Mohr''. vol. 25, Bern 1998, 11–25.
*Glenn Ehrstine: ''Theater, Culture, and Community in Reformation Bern, 1523-1555''. Leiden 2002.
*Kenneth Alan Fisher: ''Hans von Rüte. A dramatist of the Swiss Reformation'', Austin (Texas) 1975.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rute, Hans von
People from Bern
Swiss dramatists and playwrights
Swiss writers in German
16th-century Swiss writers
1558 deaths
Reformation in Switzerland