Editing Christiern Pedersen

{{More footnotes|date=April 2009}}

'''Christiern Pedersen''' (c. 1480 – 16 January 1554) was a Danish [[canon (priest)|canon]], [[Humanism|humanist]] scholar, writer, printer and [[publisher]].

==Education==
Christiern Pedersen was born in [[Elsinore|Helsingør]], [[Denmark]].  He was schooled in [[Roskilde]] and studied from 1496 at the [[University of Greifswald]]. He received a [[bachelor's degree|baccalaureate]] degree in 1498 and from 1505 was a [[canon (priest)|canon]] at [[Lund Cathedral]].

He studied at the [[University of Paris]] from 1508 to 1515, where in 1511 he received a [[Master of Arts|Master of Arts degree]]. During his stay in Paris he developed an interest in writing, translating and publishing. At that time Paris was the undisputed capital of the still-new [[printing press]]. While considering writing a new [[Latin]]-[[Danish language|Danish]] [[lexicon]], he wrote a replacement for the 300-year-old Latin grammar, ''Doctrinale'', written in 1199 by [[Alexander of Villedieu]],<ref>Nauert, Charles Garfield, "Humanism and the Culture of Renaissance Europe" (Cambridge University Press 2006), p.45</ref> and still used as standard in the schools of Denmark at that time.  In 1510 he published his new Latin-Danish lexicon, called ''[[Vocabularium ad usum Dacorum]]''.

==Gesta Danorum==
[[File:Saxo Chr P front version 001.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Title page of [[Danorum Regum heroumque Historiae]], Paris 1514]]

He wanted to publish the huge 300-year-old chronicle of Denmark, ''[[Gesta Danorum]]'', written by [[Saxo Grammaticus]], but he had difficulty in gaining access to a manuscript of the work. At that time the most knowledge of this work came from a summary called [[Compendium Saxonis]] located in [[Chronica Jutensis]], dated about 1342. Undoubtedly this is also how Pedersen knew of it.

Pedersen began to send letters to friends all over Denmark, trying to locate a manuscript, but they either did not have one or did not want to release it to him. He finally travelled to Denmark to search through libraries and monasteries, but still could not find one. Unexpectedly a letter arrived from [[Archbishop]] [[Birger Gunnersen]] of [[Lund]] stating that he had found a copy in his district and it would be made available to Pedersen.

With the help of [[Jodocus Badius Ascensius]] (also known as ''Jodocus Van Asche Badius''), whose relationship with Pedersen had now grown to more than just a professional one, they published this first edition, ''editio princeps,'' of the ''Gesta Danorum'', titled [[Danorum Regum heroumque Historiae]], 15 March 1514, in Paris. This is today the oldest known complete copy of Saxo’s ''Gesta Danorum''.

==The later years==
In 1516, Pedersen returned to [[Lund]] and worked for Archbishop [[Birger Gunnersen]].  In 1522, he became [[Chancellor|Kanzler]] under the new archbishop, [[Johann Wess]]. However, during the reign of the next archbishop, [[Aage Sparre]], Pedersen was accused of treason, among other things, resulting in Pedersen leaving for Germany. As he was loyal to King [[Christian II]], he followed him in exile to the Netherlands in 1526, after meeting him in [[Berlin]], where he spent the next five years in the then-Dutch city of [[Lier, Belgium|Lier]].

In 1529, he renounced his [[Catholicism]] (and his canon status) and became [[Lutheran]]. Consequently, [[Margaret of Habsburg (1480-1530)|Margaret of Austria]], Regent of the Low Countries asked [[Christian II]] to dismiss him, but the exiled king ignored her request.<ref>Paul Arblaster, Gergely Juhász, Guido Latré (eds.), ''Tyndale's Testament'', Turnhout: Brepols, 2002, {{ISBN|2-503-51411-1}}, pp. 136-137.</ref>

He did not return to Denmark before 1532, and got permission to settle in [[Malmö|Malmø]], where he opened a [[printing press]] shop. His continued loyalty towards King [[Christian II]] gained him no friends among the nobility, and it did not get better when later he actively participated in the Civil War ([[Count's Feud|Grevens Fejde]]) on the losers' side.

He married Else Jacobsdatter in 1534 in Malmø, who died during childbirth in 1539. Pedersen sold his printing press shop and moved to [[Copenhagen]] in 1541. During these years he translated the [[Bible]] to Danish.  This was to become his life's work, which sometimes earns him the title "the father of Danish literature". Finished in 1543, but first published in 1550, this work, ''Biblia'', was not only a masterpiece of translation, but also technically excellent, with good-quality graphics and woodcuts. This is the first complete Danish Bible translation. 3000 copies were printed by [[Ludwig Dietz]].

Pedersen was ill during the last 10 years of his life, but he continued to work until his death in 1554, while he was living with relatives in [[Helsinge]].

==Publications==
Pedersen's notable works include:
*1510, [[Vocabularium ad usum Dacorum]] (A Latin-to-Danish Lexicon)
*1514, [[Danorum Regum heroumque Historiae]] (publishing of Saxo's Gesta Danorum)
*1515, "Jærtegnspostil"
*1529, "Det Ny Testamente" (A translation of the New Testament)
*1533, "Nøttelig Legebog faar Fattige och Rige Unge och Gamle" (A medical book)
*1534, "Karl Magnus Krønike" (A free re-write of [[Charlemagne]] legends)
*1534, "Kong Holger Danskes Krønike" (A free re-write based on the French 15th century 'Ogier le Dannoys')
*1550, "Biblia - Christian d.3.s Bibel" (Translation of the Bible,- this is the first complete Danish Bible translation)

Additionally, a revised edition of the Danish "Rimkrøniken" and a Danish translation of Saxo’s "Gesta Danorum" were produced. It was never published and was lost in the [[Copenhagen Fire of 1728|library fire]] at [[Copenhagen University]] in 1728.

He published and/or wrote many other smaller works.

==References==
*''Apoteker Sibbernsens Saxobog'', C. A. Reitzels Forlag, Copenhagen, 1927
*[[Anders Sørensen Vedel]], ''Den Danske Krønicke Saxo-oversættelse 1575 udgivet i facsimile af Det danske Sprog- og Litteraturselskab'', G. E. C Gad, Copenhagen, 1967
*Helle Stangerup, ''Saxo Hans værk – Hans verden'', Høst & Søn forlag 2004, {{ISBN|87-14-29949-6}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Pedersen, Christiern |short=x}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Christiern Pedersen}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedersen, Christiern}}
[[Category:1480s births]]
[[Category:1554 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Helsingør]]
[[Category:People from Gribskov Municipality]]
[[Category:Danish male writers]]
[[Category:Danish Lutherans]]
[[Category:Renaissance humanists]]
[[Category:University of Greifswald alumni]]
[[Category:Translators of the Bible into Danish]]
[[Category:16th-century Danish translators]]
[[Category:Danish biblical scholars]]
[[Category:16th-century male writers]]