his wife Anna Denten. His father was the town Burgomaster, and both parents came from families of municipal councillors (Ratsherr). The exact date of his birth is unknown, but this was at the height of the German Renaissance. His father died prematurely in 1506, leaving Leonhart to be brought up by his mother and grandfather, an earlier Burgomaster.

His family considered him gifted, but felt that local schools could not