Amirdovlat Amasiatsi ( hy, Ամիրդովլաթ Ամասիացի; -1496), also called Amirdovlat of Amasia, was a 15th-century
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
physician and writer. He wrote several works on medicine and science, some aimed at professional audiences and some at ordinary people. All his works were written in
Middle Armenian
Cilician Armenian (), also called Middle Armenian, but the former term may be confused for modern dialects, corresponds to the second period in written Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in th ...
, making them accessible to ordinary readers and not just to scholars.
Amirdovlat was born in
Amasia Amasia may refer to the following places:
* Amasya, a city in Northern Turkey
** Amasya Province, which contains the city
** Amasea (titular see), the former Metropolitan Archbishopric with see there, now a Latin Catholic titular see
* Amasia, Sh ...
around 1420. He travelled extensively. He wrote the majority of his works in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, where he was chief physician to
Mehmed II
Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
.
He died in
Amasia Amasia may refer to the following places:
* Amasya, a city in Northern Turkey
** Amasya Province, which contains the city
** Amasea (titular see), the former Metropolitan Archbishopric with see there, now a Latin Catholic titular see
* Amasia, Sh ...
or
Bursa
( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...
on December 8, 1496.
Chronology
In Amirdovlat's biography, Vardanyan
[
] gives the following chronology of his life:
Between 1420 and 1430: born in
Amasia Amasia may refer to the following places:
* Amasya, a city in Northern Turkey
** Amasya Province, which contains the city
** Amasea (titular see), the former Metropolitan Archbishopric with see there, now a Latin Catholic titular see
* Amasia, Sh ...
1450s: Attended Armenian schools in
Amasia Amasia may refer to the following places:
* Amasya, a city in Northern Turkey
** Amasya Province, which contains the city
** Amasea (titular see), the former Metropolitan Archbishopric with see there, now a Latin Catholic titular see
* Amasia, Sh ...
and
Sebastia. Wandered as a travelling physician in Asia and Iran collecting plant samples
End of 1450s: Moved to Constantinople by sea. Further studies of medicinal arts, natural sciences and philosophy.
1460s: Selected as a chief physician to
Mehmed II
Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
, and received an honorary title of chief physician-ophthalmologist. Afterwards he had ten years of exile and wanderings around Balkan countries.
1470s: Returned to Constantinople, regained his position of a chief physician to
Mehmed II
Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
, enjoying his confidence until the ruler's death in 1481.
1480s: Returned to his motherland upon the invitation of the son of
Mehmed II
Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
, Ahmed, who became a ruler of Amasia.
1490: Journeyed to the city of
Bursa
( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...
for treatment with mineral waters.
1496, December 8: Died in
Amasia Amasia may refer to the following places:
* Amasya, a city in Northern Turkey
** Amasya Province, which contains the city
** Amasea (titular see), the former Metropolitan Archbishopric with see there, now a Latin Catholic titular see
* Amasia, Sh ...
(though other sources suggest
Bursa
( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...
).
Main works
Vardanyan also lists his major works:
1459: ''The Lore of Medicine'' and the first ''Akhrabadin'' (an extensive work on pharmacology), manuscript 8871 in the
Matenadaran
The Matenadaran ( hy, Մատենադարան), officially the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, is a museum, repository of manuscripts, and a research institute in Yerevan, Armenia. It is the world's largest repository of Armenian ...
in Yerevan, Armenia
1466—1469: His major work on clinical medicine, ''The Benefits of Medicine'', written in the city of Phillipopolis, now
Plovdiv
Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...
, in Bulgaria.
1474: ''Folk Medicine'', with elements of magic medicine and astrology.
1481: The second ''Akhrabadin''.
1478-1492: ''Useless for Ignoramuses'', his major compendium of over 3000 plants and plant names, with their medical uses.
See also
*
Şerafeddin Sabuncuoğlu
References
External links
*
* Encyclopædia Iranica online:
1496 deaths
Medieval Armenian physicians
Armenians from the Ottoman Empire
Year of birth uncertain
People from Amasya
15th-century physicians
15th-century Armenian writers
Court physicians
Physicians of the medieval Islamic world
Christians from the Ottoman Empire
Christians in the medieval Islamic world
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