Wolfgang Lazius
Illustration — Wolfgang Lazius, Portrait by Hans Sebald Lautensack (1554) Wolfgang Laz, better known by his Latinized name Wolfgang Lazius (October 31, 1514 – June 19, 1565), was an Austrian humanist who worked as a cartographer, historian, and physician. Lazius was born in Vienna, and first studied medicine, becoming professor in the medical faculty at the University of Vienna in 1541. He later became curator of the imperial collections of the Holy Roman Empire and official historian to Emperor Ferdinand I. In that capacity, he authored a number of historical works, in research for which he traveled widely, amassing (and sometimes stealing) documents from numerous monasteries and other libraries.
Wolfgang Lazius
Lithography by J. Rauh · Public domain
- Full name
- Wolfgang Laz.
- Born
- 1514. · Vienna.
- Died
- 1565. · Vienna.
- Nationality
- Holy Roman Empire.
- Occupation
- historian, cartographer, university teacher, physician, writer, map maker, humanist and philologist.
- Education
- University of Vienna and University of Ingolstadt.
- Languages
- German and Latin.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Wolfgang Lazius, Portrait by Hans Sebald Lautensack (1554) Wolfgang Laz, better known by his Latinized name Wolfgang Lazius (October 31, 1514 – June 19, 1565), was an Austrian humanist who worked as a cartographer, historian, and physician. Lazius was born in Vienna, and first studied medicine, becoming professor in the medical faculty at the University of Vienna in 1541. He later became curator of the imperial collections of the Holy Roman Empire and official historian to Emperor Ferdinand I. In that capacity, he authored a number of historical works, in research for which he traveled widely, amassing (and sometimes stealing) documents from numerous monasteries and other libraries.
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wikidata · Q685979 · wikipedia · Wolfgang Lazius
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Identity
He also produced maps of Austria, Bavaria, Hungary, and Greece, now considered important in the history of cartography. His Typi chorographici provinciarum Austriae (1561) bears some early elements of a historical atlas, though it serves more as a celebration of the Habsburg monarchy than as a true historical work. It is thought that Giuseppe Arcimboldo's painting The Librarian is of Lazius.
Wolfgang Lazius studied at University of Vienna and University of Ingolstadt. The recorded working language is German and Latin. Employment is recorded with University of Vienna and Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor. Work by Wolfgang Lazius is recorded in the collections of Het Scheepvaartmuseum.
Wolfgang Lazius is recorded as historian, cartographer, university teacher, physician and writer.
Half-length portrait of Wolfgang Lazius, historian, facing to the left. Engraved by Esme de Boulonois. Isaac Bullart. Académie Des Sciences Et Des Arts. -
Nicolas de Larmessin III, Esme de Boulonais · Isaac Bullart. Académie Des Sciences Et Des Arts. Amsterdam: Elzevier, 1682.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1514
Wolfgang Lazius born at Vienna.
1565
Wolfgang Lazius died at Vienna.
Primary material
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reference work
- “Wolfgang Lazius”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q685979: Wolfgang Lazius
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Verlagsgemeinschaft Österreich-Lexikon. Lazius (Laz), Wolfgang. aeiou Encyclopedia.
- 2.Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. Geschichte der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek — 1514, Gelehrte und ihre Bibliotheken.
- 3.Goffart, Walter. Historical Atlases: The First Three Hundred Years, 1570–1870. University of Chicago Press. 26–27. 2003. 0-226-30071-4.
- 4.Elhard, K.C. Reopening the Book on Arcimboldo's "Librarian". Libraries & Culture. 40. 2. 115–127. Spring 2005. 10.1353/lac.2005.0027.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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