John Comenius

John Comenius (1592-1670), Latin name for Jan Komensky, Czech educational reformer and religious leader, born in Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic), and educated at the University of Heidelberg.

Comenius was a teacher and rector in the Moravian towns of Přerov and Fulnek until the start of the Thirty Years’ War, when the army of the Holy Roman Empire drove the Moravians into exile. He settled in Leszno, Poland, and as bishop of the Moravians he helped to preserve his sect. In 1638 he was invited by Sweden to assist in educational reforms. The English government extended a similar invitation, but in 1641, shortly before the outbreak of the English Civil War, he left, moving on to Sweden, where he worked until 1648. He subsequently lived in Poland, Hungary, and the Netherlands.

Comenius is best known for his contributions to teaching techniques that, along with his principles of education, are presented in The Great Didactic (1628-1632; trans. 1896, 1931). He was the first to teach Classical languages by use of parallel passages of the ancient and modern languages; and his Visible World in Pictures (1658; trans. 1659), a book for learning Latin, is believed to be the first illustrated textbook for children.