Matthäus Zell
Encyclopedia
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. His widow was Katharina Zell
Katharina Zell
Katharina Zell née Schütz was a German Protestant writer during the Reformation. She was wife of Matthias Zell/Matthäus Zell, one of the first priests to marry, and be excommunicated for marrying. After his death she continued his work...
.
Life
Zell was the son of a wine maker in KaysersbergKaysersberg
Kaysersberg is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.The inhabitants are called Kaysersbergeois. The name means Emperor's Mountain in German....
. He studied at the Universities of Mainz, Erfurt
University of Erfurt
The University of Erfurt is a public university located in Erfurt, Germany. Originally founded in 1379, the university was closed in 1816 for the next 177 years...
and Freiburg im Breisgau
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
. His compatriot Johann Geiler von Kaysersberg exerted a strong influence on him.