About Peter van Diest
Lived 1454 – 1507 (aged 52–53). Peter van Diest was a writer.
Peter van Diest (Latinised as Petrus Diesthemius) was a medieval writer from the Low Countries. The late-15th-century morality play Elckerlijc is attributed to him.
Elckerlijc, which was translated into English to become the famous Everyman, has come down to us in manuscripts that fail to mention the play's author. A 1539 Latin translation by Georgius Macropedius, however, states that its original author is one Petrus Diesthemius ('Peter of Diest'). Little else is known of this writer; he has been identified with the Carthusian monk Petrus Dorlandus (1454–1507), who lived in Diest (in present-day Belgium) and wrote lives of the saints. This identification and the writer's existence, however, is controversial among philologists.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Peter van Diest's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Peter van Diest?
Dutch writer
When was Peter van Diest born?
Peter van Diest was born in 1454.
When did Peter van Diest die?
Peter van Diest died in 1507.
What was Peter van Diest's occupation?
Peter van Diest was a writer.
What nationality was Peter van Diest?
Peter van Diest's recorded nationality: Habsburg Netherlands.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Peter van Diest. https://biography.guide/peter-van-diest/
MLA: "Peter van Diest." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/peter-van-diest/.
Chicago: "Peter van Diest." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/peter-van-diest/.
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