Album amicorum of Johannes l’Empereur

High up in the north wall of the Kloosterkerk in The Hague is an epitaph for Johannes l’Empereur. It states that he studied theology and then made a ‘five-year tour of Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France’. The tangible proof of this is a large album that he probably had bound in the definitive, luxurious binding after his return in 1618.

After returning home, he also made several registers: one for all the cities where he had studied and one for the cities he had visited. He also made a list with a systematic classification of all writers by status (counts, noblemen) and field of study (theologians, lawyers, physicians and philosophers). This created an album with a representative overview of European scholars of that time.

Johannes’ journey began in Franeker in 1614. Before he actually crossed the border, he briefly visited Leiden. His mother also wrote her name in the album there. Johannes would never see his parents again.

Album amicorum of Johannes l’Empereur. 143 contributions, 1614-1628, Western Europe. Request number:135 J 45