It is the purpose of this paper to investigate the response of Sebastian Brant, one of the leading figures of German Humanism in the late fifteenth century, to the changes that the Renaissance stirred in Northern Europe. By concentrating in particular on his vernacular works, an attempt will be made to determine the elements in Brant\u27s life and thought that were inspired by this Renaissance movement. Another aspect of Sebastian Brant that will be analyzed is the manner in which he differed from the basic trends of the Northern European Renaissance. Finally, Brant will be placed among the ranks of his contemporaries in an effort to evaluate his true status as a representative of this particular intellectual mood.
The complexities of Sebastian Brant\u27s life and thought were the results of the overall confusion existing in the late fifteenth-century Europe. It was a period of vast transition, and Brant reflected this tumult