Juan Luis Vives (6 March 1493-6 May 1540) was a Spanish civic humanist during the 16th century. He supported universal education, served on Queen Catherine of Aragon's legal team during her annullment from King Henry VIII, and created the curriculum for the young Princess Mary of England to study.
Biography[]
Juan Luis Vives was born in Valencia, Spain in 1493 to a converso family, and several family members were executed during the Spanish Inquisition. Vives was educated at the University of Paris from 1509 to 1512, gaining an appreciation for Latin, Greek, and the ancient philosophers and becoming a Christian humanist; he believed that being a Christian and being a philosopher were the same. Vives supported education in the scriptures (as he believed the Greeks and Romans) were, and he befriended Desiderius Erasmus, a fellow Catholic humanist. He designed a comprehensive theory of education, advocated poor relief, and criticized Pope Julius II's corruption. He died in 1540.