Marcin Król (c. 1422–1460), also Martinus Ruthenus, Marcin z

Żurawica Żurawica is a village in Przemyśl County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Żurawica. It lies approximately north-east of Przemyśl and south-east of the ...

, Marcin Król z Przemyśla, Martinus Polonus, Martinus Rex de Premislia was a Ruthenian-born Polish

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, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

, and

doctor Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

Life

Marcin Król, son of Stanisław Król, was born around 1422 in Żurawica near

Przemyśl Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...

. He joined the

Cracow Academy The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the wor ...

to study the liberal arts in 1438. Six years later, he earned his ''baccalarius''. In 1445 he gained the title ''magister'' and began to lecture on mathematics and astronomy. That same year, Zbigniew Oleśnicki, the academy's

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

, arranged for him to study abroad. Król attended the universities in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

(1445),

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

and Bologna, where he lectured on astronomy in 1448. In December 1449, he earned the title doctor of medicine. Shortly thereafter, Król left for Hungary, where he was the court physician to

John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (; ; ; ; ; – 11 August 1456) was a leading Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian military and political figure during the 15th century, who served as Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1301–1526), Kingdom of Hungary ...

. He probably also spent time at the court of John Vitéz w

Oradea Oradea (, , ; ; ) is a city in Romania, located in the Crișana region. It serves as the administrative county seat, seat of Bihor County and an economic, social, and cultural hub in northwestern Romania. The city lies between rolling hills on ...

. Król returned to Cracow probably in the winter of 1450 through the intervention of Zbigniew Oleśnicki and

Jan Długosz Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histo ...

, and took up a position as professor at the Cracow Academy. He covered mathematics (geometry) and astronomy, founding the latter department. Sometime after 1450, he also established the department of

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

, which soon developed a European-wide reputation. He kept up close correspondence with other astronomers, including the Austrian

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

and the German

Regiomontanus Johannes Müller von Königsberg (6 June 1436 – 6 July 1476), better known as Regiomontanus (), was a mathematician, astrologer and astronomer of the German Renaissance, active in Vienna, Buda and Nuremberg. His contributions were instrument ...

. In this period Król also served as doctor to the

bishop of Cracow A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

. At his death in 1460, his substantial fortune went, in large part, to the University of Cracow, as was his wish. A small sum also went to his brother Florian, a peasant settled in the family village of Żurawica.

Works

* ''Nova compilatio algorismi minutiarum''. * ''Algorismus minuciarum''. 1445. * ''Summa super Tabulas Alphonsi vel Correctiones Tabularum Alphonsi''. 1450–1451(?). Treatise correcting the astronomical tables of 1251. * ''Iudicia''. Astrological almanacs for 1451 and 1452. * ''Opus de geometria''. c.1450. * ''Canones super calendarium''. 1456. ;LettersBoth published in J. Szujski, ed., ''Codex Epistolaris Saeculi Decimi Quinti'', vol. 1 (1876); ''Monumenta Medii Aevi Historica'', vol. 2; Oleśnicki's letter reprinted in I. Chrzanowski and S. Kot, ''Humanizm i reformacja w Polsce'' (

Lwów Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, 1927). * From Jan Długosz in Cracow, dated October 1449. * From Zbigniew Oleśnicki, dated December(?) 1449.

Footnotes

;Notes

Bibliography

* ''Bibliografia Literatury Polskiej – Nowy Korbut'', vol. 3 Piśmiennictwo Staropolskie, 461–62. Warsaw: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1965 s. 461–462 * Knoll, Paul W. ''“A Pearl of Powerful Learning”: The University of Cracow in the Fifteenth Century'', 381ff. Leiden: Brill, 2016. * Kuksiewicz, Zdzisław. "Marcin Król z Żurawicy alias z Przemyśla. ''Materiały i Studia Zakładu Historii Filozofii Starożytnej i Średniowiecznej'' 1 (1961): 118–40. * Láng, Benedek. ''Unlocked Books: Manuscripts of Learned Magic in the Medieval Libraries of Central Europe,'' 247–49. University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 2008.

External links

* https://www.ipsb.nina.gov.pl/a/biografia/marcin-z-zurawicy {{DEFAULTSORT:Król, Marcin People from Przemyśl 15th-century Polish astronomers Polish mathematicians Polish astrologers 15th-century astrologers Ukrainian astronomers 15th-century Polish physicians Academic staff of Jagiellonian University 15th-century births 1460 deaths