:''Johannes von Gmünd is also the name of a 14th-century architect, see

Basel Münster Basel Minster (German: ''Basler Münster'') is a religious building in the Swiss city of Basel, originally a Catholic cathedral and today a Reformed Protestant church. The original cathedral was built between 1019 and 1500 in Romanesque and Go ...

.'' Johannes von Gmunden ( la, Johannes de Gamundia; c. 1380/84 – February 23, 1442) was a German/Austrian

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

and early instrument maker.

Biography

Johannes von Gmunden received the degree of a Master of Arts at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...

in 1406. From 1408, he was a lecturer at Vienna, lecturing on

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...

's ''

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

'' (1408) and ''

Meteora The Meteora (; el, Μετέωρα, ) is a rock formation in central Greece hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries, second in importance only to Mount Athos.Sofianos, D.Z.: "Metéora" ...

'' (1409, 1411),

Peter of Spain __NOTOC__ Peter of Hispania ( la, Petrus Hispanus; Portuguese and es, Pedro Hispano; century) was the author of the ', later known as the ', an important medieval university textbook on Aristotelian logic. As the Latin ''Hispania'' was consider ...

(1410) and ''Algorismus de minutiis'' (1412). He fell seriously ill in 1412. In 1415 and 1416 studied theology, completing a

Bachelor of Theology The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a three- to five-year undergraduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, denomination, or parachurch organization. ...

in 1416.Christoph Schöner, ''Mathematik und Astronomie an der Universität Ingolstadt im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert'', Duncker & Humblot, 1994, p. 69. He continued lecturing only in 1419, on ''algorismus de integris''. From 1420, Johannes was permitted to restrict his teaching to the specialized field of the mathematics of astronomy, focusing on

Euclid Euclid (; grc-gre, Εὐκλείδης; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the '' Elements'' treatise, which established the foundations of ...

's '' Elements'' and the ''Sphaera materialis'' of John Holywood. With the aid of students (Weidler's 1741 ''Historia astronomiae'' names Georg Pruneck of Ruspach, Georg of Neuenburg, Johannes Schinkel and Johannes Feldner) he compiled voluminous

astronomical tables In astronomy and celestial navigation, an ephemeris (pl. ephemerides; ) is a book with tables that gives the trajectory of naturally occurring astronomical objects as well as artificial satellites in the sky, i.e., the Position (vector), positio ...

. In 1425, he was elected

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

at St. Stephen's Cathedral.

Georg von Peuerbach Georg von Peuerbach (also Purbach, Peurbach; la, Purbachius; born May 30, 1423 – April 8, 1461) was an Austrian astronomer, poet, mathematician and instrument maker, best known for his streamlined presentation of Ptolemaic astronomy in the ''Th ...

succeeded him at Vienna University in 1450. John's origins are somewhat disputed. He was probably born in Gmunden,

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, an ...

, but there were also suggestions connecting him with

Gmünd, Lower Austria Gmünd ( cz, Cmunt) is a town in the northwestern Waldviertel region of Lower Austria and the capital of the Gmünd district. The municipality consists of the Katastralgemeinden ''Böhmzeil, Breitensee, Eibenstein, Gmünd'' and ''Grillenstein''. S ...

, or that he was a Swabian from

Schwäbisch Gmünd Schwäbisch Gmünd (, until 1934: Gmünd; Swabian: ''Gmẽẽd'' or ''Gmend'') is a city in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of around 60,000, the city is the second largest in the Ostalb district and ...

who studied in

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

in his youth, based on a document written at Ulm in 1404 by one "Johannes Wissbier de Gamundia".

Legacy

* Asteroid 15955 Johannesgmunden is named after him.

Works

*'' Astrolabii qui primi mobilis motus deprehendur canones'' (1515)

Notes

References

*John Mundy, ''John of Gmunden'', ''Isis,'' The History of Science Society (1943).

Biography

Legacy

Works

See also

Notes

References

Further reading