How did Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert influence Dutch prose and standard Dutch?

Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert was a pivotal figure in the development of Dutch literature, primarily by establishing a clear, unpretentious prose style that broke away from the complex traditions of the contemporary Rederijkers (rhetoricians).1

By articulating Humanist values in the vernacular, Coornhert provided a model of lucidity and suppleness that influenced great 17th-century writers. His prose, which drew inspiration from the Bible and the works of Montaigne, was noted for being remarkably readable and entertaining.12

Regarding the evolution of the Dutch language, Coornhert played a foundational role. Along with his successors—most notably the translators of the authorized Dutch Bible published in 1637—he helped lay the essential groundwork for the development of standard Dutch. His commitment to using the vernacular for serious moral and philosophical discourse, such as in his tract De wellevenskunste, proved that the language could effectively convey complex, undogmatic Christian ethics.21