The Autobiography of Thomas Platter, a schoolmaster of the sixteenth century

In Short

Thomas Platter begins life as an orphaned goat-herder in the Valais mountains, subject to harsh guardians and brutal poverty. Driven by a quiet, persistent desire for knowledge, he joins the wandering scholars of sixteenth-century Europe, enduring beatings, frostbite, and severe hunger while begging his way across Germany and Poland. Through sheer resilience, he teaches himself Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, moving from illiterate beggar to rope-maker, printer, and eventually chief schoolmaster in Basle. His autobiography endures as a vivid, unvarnished portrait of peasant life, early Protestant Reformation conflicts, and the relentless pursuit of education against all odds.

The Story

Born at the turn of the sixteenth century, Thomas Platter loses his father in infancy and is left by his formidable mother to be raised by various relatives. As a young boy, he spends his days tending goats and cows in the alpine pastures of St. Gall. Recognizing his sharp mind, an aunt sends him to a local priest to learn to read, but the gentleman proves violently abusive, dragging the young boy by the ears and teaching him virtually nothing beyond basic church chants.

Seeking an escape, Thomas joins his older cousin Paul Summermatter as a travelling fag—a younger boy who must beg, run errands, and endure beatings to support older students called Bacchants. Together, they trek through Germany, reaching Munich, Ulm, and Breslau. In Breslau, Thomas sleeps on cold schoolhouse floors or in churchyards, singing for bread till midnight, occasionally rescued from freezing by compassionate townspeople. Despite living in major educational centers, his masters keep him begging rather than studying, leaving him illiterate for years while he line-of-sight scavenges for discarded bones to survive.

Upon returning briefly to his home, his mother expresses dismay at his wandering life, urging him to learn a practical trade instead of entertaining foolish hopes of the priesthood. Undeterred, Thomas breaks away from his tyrannical masters and finally takes control of his own education. He settles in Zurich during the height of the Swiss Reformation. There, he throw himself into books, mastering Latin and Greek while teaching himself rope-making to pay his bills. He studies Hebrew so thoroughly that he becomes a private tutor to local scholars while still working as a manual laborer.

His life takes another turn when he marries Anne, a housekeeper recommended by his mentor Myconius. Settling temporarily in Visp, he sets up a rope-making shop and opens a school, earning tuition in quarterly pennies, milk, and quarters of sheep. Yet political and religious upheaval continually intrudes on his quiet life. During the Swiss religious wars, Thomas finds himself on the front lines, carrying weapons and witnessing the bloody aftermath of the battle where reformer Ulrich Zwingli dies.

Eventually relocating his growing family to Basle, Thomas secures an assistantship at a local school. Carrying his newborn baby in a basket on his back and his few possessions on his shoulders, he establishes a modest home. He takes over a printing shop to stabilize his finances, earning a comfortable living even as his children are forced to fold paper until their fingers bleed. Recognizing his true calling, the council of Basle eventually persuades him to leave printing and become the city's principal schoolmaster. He spends his final decades teaching, navigating University rivalries, and recording his improbable journey from mountain goatherd to honored scholar before passing away peacefully surrounded by his family.

How It Unfolds

The goat-boy set loose Orphaned early and sent into the high pastures, young Thomas learns hard outdoor labor before an aunt decides to send him to a local priest to learn his letters.

Life on the road Joining a group of travelling scholars as a fag, Thomas wanders through German and Polish cities, enduring freezing churchyards, severe beatings, and constant hunger while begging food for his elder masters.

Breaking the bonds Tired of being kept illiterate by his guardians, Thomas leaves his cousin, resolves to teach himself, and makes his way to Zurich to pursue real scholarly learning.

Scholar and craftsman Working as a rope-maker by day, Thomas masters Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, eventually teaching language to local gentlemen while working with his hands.

War and family After marrying a housekeeper, Thomas opens a small village school, but regional religious conflicts force him onto the battlefield and ultimately drive his family toward Basle.

The master of Basle In Basle, Thomas transitions from assistant schoolmaster to print-shop owner, and finally to chief professor of the city school, completing his transformation from beggar to leading educator.

The People

• Thomas Platter: The resilient narrator who desires an education above all else. Neither mountain poverty, physical abuse, nor severe hunger stops him from teaching himself ancient languages and rising to lead prominent schools.
• Thomas's Mother: A rough, fiercely independent widow who hews wood and threshes grain like a man. She wants her son to learn an honest trade and fears his wandering scholar life will leave him a useless vagabond.
• Paul Summermatter: Thomas's older cousin and Bacchant. He acts as a harsh guardian who leads Thomas across Europe, using the boy to beg for food and money while refusing to teach him to read.
• Myconius: A prominent Zurich reformer and scholar who becomes Thomas's mentor. He encourages Thomas's studies, advises him to marry, and helps him secure his initial teaching posts.
• Anne: A housekeeper who marries Thomas. She endures deep poverty, long journeys carrying children and household goods on foot, and endless domestic struggles alongside her husband.

In Its Own Voice

"I screamed like a goat that had the knife sticking into it, so that often the neighbours came screaming in to him to know whether he would kill me out and out."

Thomas recalls the brutal discipline of his first schoolmaster, a village priest who beat him severely for his initial awkwardness.

"I was indeed sometimes so hungry, that I drove the dogs in the street away from their bones, and gnawed them..."

Describing his early years as a travelling fag, Thomas captures the desperate conditions under which poor scholars survived in sixteenth-century towns.

"I carried the child, and a scholar went with us who helped the mother to carry her bundle. After looking for a dwelling for a long time, we at last got a small house..."

Upon moving his family to Basle, Thomas records the modest, unvarnished reality of setting out on foot to build a new life as a scholar.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores the raw, transformative power of self-education during an era of profound social shift. It paints a stark picture of sixteenth-century peasant life, stripping away romantic notions of the Renaissance to reveal the severe poverty, physical danger, and institutional violence that framed everyday existence. The narrative contrasts the empty, rigid schooling of traditional clerical tutors with the vital intellectual curiosity unleashed by the Reformation and the rise of printing. Beneath the personal journey lies a quiet defense of practical labor combined with intellectual ambition: Platter demonstrates that craftsman hands and classical scholarship can belong to the very same man, proving that humble origins need not limit a determined mind.

Why Read It Today

This short autobiography offers an extraordinarily direct window into the sixteenth century, written not by a noble or a famous theologian, but by a self-made working man. Readers who enjoy primary historical sources, narratives of quiet determination, or early modern history will find Platter's voice instantly engaging.

The prose is straightforward, plainspoken, and devoid of self-pity, making it remarkably readable despite the centuries that separate the reader from the text. While modern audiences must navigate historic place names, archaic academic structures like "Bacchants" and "fags," and period attitudes toward childhood discipline, the core human experience remains entirely accessible. What stays with you is Platter's sheer vitality—the image of a young boy gnawing bones in the street who goes on to carry a newborn baby across Switzerland in a basket, build his own printing press, and teach Hebrew to the next generation. It is a deeply grounding, humanizing narrative that makes history feel immediate and lived.