Archiater Caesarius: Johannes Crato as Philip Sidney’s Forgotten Mentor?

Abstract

Philip Sidney’s European sojourn (1572–1575) proved to be a formative experience, one that shaped his political and literary development. Unsurprisingly, it has received much commentary. However, one rather neglected sphere of influence on Sidney’s education that deserves fuller attention is the coterie of high-standing and learned figures based in Central Europe, many of whom Sidney either corresponded with or met in person. This paper will examine – using the example of the German humanist Johannes Crato von Krafftheim (1519–1585), personal physician to three Holy Roman Emperors, as a case study – how Sidney might have been inspired by the unique continental area of irenicism and the flourishing of new ways of understanding Man and Nature by means of medicine and botany.