Gertrude Lachner, also known as Froben or Herwagen, (d. circa 1559–1560 in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

and

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

close to

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...

. Initially the wife of

Johann Froben Johann Froben, in Latin: Johannes Frobenius (and combinations), (c. 1460 – 27 October 1527) was a famous printer, publisher and learned Renaissance humanist in Basel. He was a close friend of Erasmus and cooperated closely with Hans Holbein t ...

and later of Johann Herwagen, she was actively involved in their publishing work. Her remarriage to Herwagen, after the death of her first husband, significantly increased the quantity and quality of their productions until 1538, when Herwagen had an affair with Katherina Weckart, the wife of his stepson Erasmus Froben. This affair divided their family and publishing house.

Biography

She was born on an unknown date, her father was Wolfgang Lachner and was also a printer and a librarian. She initially married

. In 1515, their son, Erasmus Froben, became the godson of

. After Froben's death, she married Johann Herwagen around 1528, with whom she was already collaborating and who was close to her late husband. This allowed them to merge their presses and increase the frequency, quantity, and quality of their productions, now bearing both names, Froben-Herwagen. Despite Lachner and Herwagen's friendship with

, the couple had conflicts with the humanist in the late 1520s regarding Erasmus Froben's education, as they did not wish to follow the Dutchman's advice for him to study at the University of Louvain instead of remaining in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

or going to

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. Despite their serious conflicts, the humanist continued to use their presses, likely out of friendship for Lachner rather than for Herwagen. In 1538, the family was scandalized after Herwagen seduced Katherina Weckart, the wife of Erasmus Froben, who left him. He had to face a trial and was sentenced in 1542 to a heavy fine and exile. Although he continued his activities and managed to return to Basel, this significantly slowed down his publishing endeavors and caused lasting divisions within the family. She died around 1559–1560.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lachner, Gertrude 1558 deaths 16th-century Swiss writers 16th-century women writers Swiss book publishers (people) Printers of incunabula People from Basel-Stadt 16th-century printers