Erasmus was the illegitimate son of a Dutch churchman, who became a monk after he was born. When his parents died his guardians persuaded him to become a monk too (coincidentally, an Augustinian house like Martin Luther!) He was sent by his bishop to Paris for further education. Later he became a teacher at Cambridge University where he was befriended by such humanist figures as Thomas More (of Utopia fame) and Dean Colet ( a famous teacher and preacher.) Erasmus' fame is based on a number of accomplishments: 1) Through his studies he mastered the Latin language (which was still the main communication medium for intellectual Europe) to such an extent that he seemed (to his peers) to use it effortlessly and naturally (remember that by the 1500s Latin had been a "dead" language for almost 1,000 years!) Through the medium of Latin he became the most famous writer in all of Europe (and one of the first to make his living through his writing rather than through patronage.) Although now he best known for his satire, such as "In Praise of Folly, which he initially denied writing," in his own time he was more famous for his editions and commentaries on classical authors published through the famous Aldine press. These were simple and relatively inexpensive editions that made books available to any scholar rather than just book collectors. So one of his great accomplishments was becoming the most famous Renaissance writer and scholar in Northern Europe. 2) Erasmus applied his scholarship to Church reform. One of his accomplishments in this area was his "new" Latin translation of the New testament. There had not been a translation of the gospels since St. Jerome's Vulgate 1,000 years before. It was very controversial to "edit" the New testament and make it accessible to any Latin student. In his preface to his translation, Erasmus said that he hoped his work would make the bible "open" to people. 3) When Martin Luther began his revolt against indulgences, he wrote to Erasmus as his inspiration and leader, but Erasmus could not agree with Luther's moves to split the church, and in the end he sided with Rome and the Catholic church, believing that Christian "unity" was more important than individual opinion. The reformers branded Erasmus as a coward. They said he had urged then to jump of the cliff (of reform) and then run away. Meanwhile conservative churchmen said it was Erasmus' fault that there was a protestant revolt as he had made fun of the church for so many years. For a long time Erasmus' reputation was in eclipse, but in our time there has been a renewed appreciation of his "humanist" stance, his belief in peaceful reform and his search for compromise over conflict. A good place to find information on Erasmus and other historical figures is Wikipedia. Here is the link for Erasmus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erasmus