ABSTRACT

On 15 August 1561, immediately after the death of the Hospitaller bailiff of Utrecht, the convent there chose Hendrik Berck as the new head of the bailiwick. Berck was widely regarded as a capable administrator and he was praised for his exemplary behaviour in religiosis, but the hasty procedure did not meet with the approval of the provincial government. Supported by Margaret of Parma, governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567, representatives of the Hof van Utrecht (Court of Utrecht) were soon sent to investigate the nomination. The documents that were subsequently produced describing what happened provide some interesting information about the education of Hendrik Berck and his fellow brethren. 1 They state that the new bailiff was of noble descent, originating from the town of Zutphen in the duchy of Guelders. According to a fellow student, he had received education at the prestigious latin school in Deventer as far as the ultimate or penultimate level. Directly afterwards he had entered the Hospitaller Order as priest-brother, but without continuing his studies at a university. 2 This lack of a university education was one of the arguments used by the attorney-general of Utrecht to challenge his election. According to the attorney-general, ‘He received little more education … in spiritual or secular business other than by being overseer of the kitchens of the aforesaid convent for six months’. Although this may be a somewhat one-sided account of the affair, it indicates that a prelate was expected to be well educated. 3 Having had an appropriate academic training even seems to have been regarded a precondition for appointment to important 338offices in the bailiwick. 4 Furthermore, in Utrecht, studying did not end once a priest-brother entered the Hospitaller Order. Hendrik Ruysch, the commander of Ingen, for instance, was said to delve deeply into theological subjects every day and gave sermons on a regular basis. The members of the Utrecht convent received instruction on the psalms of David and the letters of Paul from the learned Hieronymus Vairlenius, who was later to become vicar general of the bishop of haarlem. 5