Primož Trubar · 1508–1586
Life and work
The main stations of the life and the works of Primož Trubar: religious reformer, apostle and prophet of the Slovenes, founder of the Slovene literary language and spiritual father of the Slovene nation.
1508–1529
Childhood and school
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1508
Rašica
Born on 8 June to his mother Jera and his father Miha in the mill below the village of Rašica near Turjak. His father Miha was a miller, carpenter and church caretaker.
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1520
Rijeka
Leaves to study in Rijeka, probably at the chapter school.
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1521
Salzburg
Before spring he moves to Salzburg. He studies as an external pupil of the monastery school of St Peter and earns his living by singing. Here he first meets the ideas of the Reformation.
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1524
Trieste
Comes to Trieste as personal attendant to Bishop Peter Bonomo and joins the bishop’s choir. He gets to know Calvinist and Zwinglian ideas and the writings of Erasmus of Rotterdam, with explanations in German, Italian and Slovene.
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1527
Loka pri Radečah
Bonomo gives him the parish of Loka near Radeče, although he has not yet been ordained.
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1528
Vienna
Leaves the parish of Loka to a vicar and uses its income to study at the University of Vienna.
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1529
Trieste
Because of the Turkish threat he leaves Vienna and returns to Trieste.
1530–1547
Priest and preacher
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1530
Laško
Peter Bonomo ordains him priest. He takes up a post in Laško, buys books and has his first conflicts for preaching against the building of new churches.
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1533
Ljubljana
Preaches in Ljubljana for the first time.
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1535
Ljubljana
At the end of the year he settles in Ljubljana and becomes preacher at St Nicholas’ Cathedral.
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1540
Trieste and Celje
The governor of Carniola drives him out of Ljubljana for preaching the new teaching. Bonomo finds him a post as preacher in Trieste and the chaplaincy of St Maximilian in Celje.
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1542
Ljubljana
Through Bonomo he becomes a canon in Ljubljana. He strengthens Reformation thinking and meets with like-minded people, still as a priest within the Catholic Church.
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1547
Šentjernej
Goes to Šentjernej and puts the neglected parish in order. Because of Bishop Textor’s Counter-Reformation campaign he hides to avoid arrest.
1548–1560
Exile and the first two books
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1548
Rothenburg
A church court excommunicates him and takes all his church posts and property, above all his books. He flees to Germany, to the preacher Veit Dietrich, a friend of Martin Luther, in Nuremberg. He becomes a Protestant and is made preacher in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
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1549
Rothenburg
In Rothenburg he marries Barbara Sitar from Kranj.
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1550
Tübingen
In Tübingen the first two Slovene books, the Catechism and the Abecedarium, are published, printed in Gothic type.
The Catechism in modern Slovene
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1553
Kempten
Becomes pastor in Kempten, works to calm the quarrels between different Reformation movements, and begins working with Vergerius, the former bishop of Koper.
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1555
With money from Duke Christoph of Württemberg four of Trubar’s books are published: a new edition of the Abecedarium and the Catechism (in Latin letters), the Gospel of Matthew, and a prayer book. The Peace of Augsburg makes the ruler of a land decide the faith of his subjects. As the Habsburgs remained Catholic, this was to apply to Carniola, Carinthia and Styria too.
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1557
Trubar’s struggle for Croatian printing in Cyrillic begins. The first part of the New Testament is published.
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1558
The book En regišter (A register) is published.
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1560
The second part of the New Testament is published.
1561–1565
Urach and Ljubljana
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1561
Urach
Becomes head of the Bible institute in Urach, founded by Hans Ungnad, former governor of Styria, mainly to print Slovene and Croatian Protestant books. He is overloaded with writing prefaces, dedications and translations, and the estates of Carniola invite him back as superintendent. The Articles of the true old Christian faith are published (the Augsburg Confession with parts of the Württemberg and Saxon confessions).
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1562
Ljubljana
As Protestant superintendent in Ljubljana he organises the church, settles disputes in the Slovene Protestant community and goes on a preaching tour of the Gorizia region.
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1564
The Church Order (Cerkovna ordninga) is published. Archduke Charles of Inner Austria resents it, because by setting out how the Protestant church is run and how it worships, the book intrudes on the ruler’s rights under the Peace of Augsburg.
The Church Order in modern Slovene -
1565
Trubar is banished to Germany; Jurij Dalmatin goes with him. His wife Barbara dies.
1566–1586
Last years in Derendingen
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1566
Derendingen
Becomes parish priest in Derendingen and marries Anastasia. He translates and prints books in Tübingen.
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1567
Carniola
At the suggestion of the Protestant theologian Andreae he visits Carniola one last time, in secret, to get reliable information about Islam from Turkish prisoners. He publishes three books: the complete Catechism, the Letters of St Paul and a hymnbook.
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1575
The Catechism with two explanations is published.
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1581
After the death of his second wife Anastasia he marries Agnes. He leads the Protestants of Carniola, Carinthia and Styria in signing the Formula of Concord, an attempt to overcome the divisions in Protestant teaching.
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1582
The complete New Testament is published.
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1584
He lives to see the publication of Dalmatin’s translation of the whole Bible and Bohorič’s Slovene grammar Arcticae horulae.
Dalmatin’s New Testament (PDF, in Slovene) -
1586
Derendingen
Dies on 29 June. He is buried with great honours in Derendingen.
1595
Legacy
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1595
Trubar’s son Felician publishes his last book, a translation of Luther’s House Postil.
Gallery
In Trubar’s footsteps
The places where Trubar lived, preached and printed books: from Rašica to Derendingen.
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Rašica: the restored mill where he was born -
Bronze relief with Trubar’s portrait -
Salzburg: St Peter’s Abbey -
Rothenburg ob der Tauber: the church where he preached -
Tübingen: plaque on the house where the first Slovene books were printed -
Kempten: house and church -
Trubar’s portrait in an old book -
An old edition of Trubar’s New Testament -
Urach: entrance to the Stift, home of the Bible institute -
Bad Urach: statue of Trubar -
Bad Urach: statue of Trubar, close up -
Derendingen: the church where he was parish priest -
Derendingen: bust in front of Trubar’s house -
Derendingen: Primus-Truber-Straße -
Derendingen: Trubar’s gravestone
1550–1595
Trubar’s works
- 1550 Katekizem (Catechismus in der windischen Sprach)
- 1550 Abecednik (Abecedarium)
- 1555 Ta evangeli svetiga Matevža
- 1555 Katehismus v slovenskim jeziku
- 1555 Abecednik (Abecedarium)
- 1555 Ena molitov tih krščenikov
- 1557 Ta prvi dejl tiga noviga testamenta
- 1557 Ta slovenski kolendar
- 1557 Tiga noviga testamenta ena dolga predguvor
- 1558 En regišter … ena kratka postila
- 1560 Ta drugi dejl tiga noviga testamenta
- 1561 Svetiga Pavla ta dva listi h tim Korintarjem inu ta h tim Galatarjem
- 1561 Register und summarischer Innhalt
- 1562 Artikuli oli dejli te prave stare vere krščanske
- 1564 Cerkovna ordninga
- 1566 Ta celi psalter Davidov
- 1566 Abecednik (Abecedarium)
- 1567 Ta celi katehismus (slovensko-nemška izdaja)
- 1567 Svetiga Pavla listuvi
- 1567 Ena duhovska pejsen zuper Turke inu vse sovražnike te cerkve božje …
- 1567 Eni psalmi, ta celi katehismus … stare inu nove krščanske pejsni
- 1574 Ta celi katehismus, eni psalmi … stare inu nove krščanske pejsni
- 1575 Tri duhovske pejsni
- 1575 Katehismus z dvejma izlagama
- 1577 Noviga testamenta pusledni dejl
- 1579 Ta prvi psalm ž nega trijemi izlagami
- 1581 Formula concordiae (izgubljeno)
- 1582 Ta celi novi testament
- 1582 Ta drugi dejl noviga testamenta
- 1582 Ta slovenski kolendar
- 1595 Hišna postila d. Martina Lutherja (izdano posthumno)
Most of the books were printed in Tübingen. Trubar also wrote several German dedications to Croatian books printed in Glagolitic or Cyrillic at the Bible institute in Urach, and a number of songs in hymnbooks published by other Slovene Protestants of the sixteenth century. Much of his correspondence has also survived. The titles are given in Trubar’s own Slovene.