Jeronimo de Vries (Amsterdam 1776 – Amsterdam 1853) is considered the founding father of Dutch literary history, of which he was the first to publish a complete survey: Proeve eener geschiedenis der Nederduitsche dichtkunde (1808-09). It located the zenith of Dutch poetry in the 17th century, with the Middle Ages and 18th century correspondingly inferior. De Vries was profoundly influenced by Hendrik van Wijn’s treatise on pre-16th-century Dutch poetry, Historische en letterkundige avondstonden (1800), and by the lectures of the first professor of Dutch language and literature, Matthijs Siegenbeek. De Vries was also active as a critic, essayist and editor, his most important edition being the complete works of the 18th-century poets Willem and Onno Zwier van Haren.