Olaus Johannis Gutho (died 1516) was a late 15th-century student at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in opera ...

, whose preserved lecture notes are one of the few sources for the curriculum of the only mediaeval Swedish university.

Biography

Olaus was a student at

from its very first semester in 1477 until at least 1486, and later became a monk in the

Brigittine The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Savior (; abbreviated OSsS), is a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta or Bridget of Sweden in 1344, and approved by Pope Urban V ...

Abbey of Vadstena. His name is a latinization of ''Olof Johansson'' or ''Olof Jonsson'' (or a similar form), with the byname indicating that he was from the island of

Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...

. He is mentioned as a '' baccalaureus in artibus'' in an undated note, and was a ''

magister artium A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

'' by the time he entered the monastery in 1506. However, Olaus had not yet graduated as a baccalaureus in 1486, at the time of the last dated notes, which may be explained by his young age at the time of enrollment; students could enter university as young as seven or eight years old, but were not allowed to take the baccalaureate until the age of seventeen. Olaus died in 1516 during a visit to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. When entering the monastery in 1506, Olaus was required to give up all his private possessions; the notes from lectures in Uppsala which he donated to the monastery library made up seven bound volumes. These were eventually returned to Uppsala along with the rest of the library after the dissolution of the Abbey of Vadstena in the late 16th century, and they now belong to the

Uppsala University Library The Uppsala University Library ( sv, Uppsala universitetsbibliotek) at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden, consists of 11 subject libraries, one of which is housed in the old main library building, Carolina Rediviva. The library holds books an ...

. The manuscripts (C 195, 242, 599, 600, 601, 602 and 627) were edited and published with an introduction by the Latinist Anders Piltz in his dissertation ''Studium Upsalense'' (1977). The earliest notes cover theology, although Olaus started his studies in the Faculty of Philosophy in 1482. The notes show a strong emphasis on Aristotelian philosophy and the influence of Albertus Magnus and

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...

that pervaded education in all universities in Europe at the time. His teachers included the theologians

Ericus Olai Ericus Olai (ca. 1420-1486) was a Swedish theologian and historian. He served as a professor of theology at Uppsala University and dean at Uppsala Cathedral. Ericus Olai was the author of the chronicle ''Chronica regni Gothorum'' and was an earl ...

, remembered for his chronicle ''Chronica regni gothorum'', and Peder Galle, who later became known as one of the leading opponents of the

Protestant reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

in Sweden. The Uppsala curriculum also included

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

's mathematics and the astronomy text '' De sphaera mundi'' by Johannes de Sacrobosco. The astronomy notes have influenced Uppsala astronomers to name an asteroid after him, 8869 Olausgutho, discovered in 1992."(8869) Olausgutho = 1992 EE₁₁", http://www.astro.uu.se/planet/asteroid/astdiv/8869.html

Biography

References and notes

Further reading