Anna Maria Van Schurman

(Another) Feminist Icon and Defender of Women’s Education

Who said women in the seventeenth century weren’t smart? Schurman was a brilliant thinker who was powerful in her own right.

She was born in Cologne, Germany, in 1607 to wealthy parents but lived most of her life in the Netherlands. She was known to speak fourteen languages, including English, German, French, Dutch, Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, Greek, Persian and even Ethiopic!

She had extensive knowledge of theology, philosophy and medicinal practice. Not only this, but she was artistic and wrote poetry in several languages and created several paintings and engravings, including self-portraits, although many of them are lost today. In 1649, she was painted by Jan Lievens: the painting still survives (pictured) and shows a pretty yet humble-looking woman. She was known to also possess excellent knowledge of mathematics, geography and astronomy.    

She frequently conversed through letters across Europe with other brains of the age. Her writings were successfully published and went into multiple editions. She also had numerous visitors, some even royalty, such as Queen Christina of Sweden, Queen Ludwilla Maria of Poland and Queen Henrietta Maria of England.

In one of her most important works entitled Opscula Hebraea Gracea Latina et Gallica, Prosaica et Metrica (Short Works in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and French—in Prose and Verse), Schurman published her doctrine defending a woman’s right to study. It was titled Dissertatio de Ingentii Muliebris ad Doctrinam et Meliores Litteras Aptitudine (A Dissertation on the Aptitude of the Female Intellect for Scholarship and Polite Letters).

She even became the first woman to attend a Dutch university in 1636. At the opening of Utrecht University, Schurman was a guest speaker and read a poem that she wrote in the university’s honour. The poem lamented that women were excluded from learning, and it did not fall on deaf ears. She was able to attend lectures, and her poem was published. It must be noted, however, the extent to which Schurman thought women should be educated and what classes. A fervent Protestant, her faith was always a part of her life, and she dedicated herself to Christ. She never married or had children, despite having several suitors, one of them being the Dutch poet and composer Constantijn Huygens, father of the famous astronomer and mathematician, Christiaan Huygens. Her talents and learnedness were so renowned that she was nicknamed the “Star of Utrecht”.

Her life was so extraordinary, but Schurman was humble until the end. Underneath her last self-portrait, the following words are visible: ‘See here the noble maiden, described as unparalleled/ before she chose the best part instead of worldly praise/she seemed to be composed of wisdom, spirit and virtue/her love was crucified, the Cross was her joy/Art, languages, science, erudition, greatness and glory/Gladly she laid it all at the feet of Christ’. She never married and often stated and was her motto, that “her love was crucified”.

Schurman should be remembered and celebrated for her humility and generosity. She was tenacious and was deeply devoted to her faith and academic talents, which she viewed as a gift from God. She was able to navigate being a female thinker in her times with ease, although it may have only been possible because she retained her religious faith, which, as a woman, was possibly thought of more highly than her academic prowess.

Have you ever heard of Schurman before reading this article? Please do share your thoughts in the comments!