Copernicus years of life and death. Nicolaus Copernicus

He is considered one of the most famous Polish scientists, although he is definitely a treasure of world science. The scientist who in the 15th century managed to go against the teachings of the church and prove that the Earth is far from the center of the world, who was both a canon and a researcher, died without seeing the world’s reaction to his discovery.

Family and childhood

Nicolaus Copernicus was born into a merchant family. His father was a native of Krakow, although his nationality is unknown. The mother was ethnically German. Nikolai was the fourth child in the family; besides him, his parents had another son and two daughters.

Nikolai received his primary education at a school that was located not far from his home in Toruń.

When he was nine, his father died of the plague, and therefore his mother and her brother took up raising all the children. He moved his sister's family to Krakow. There Nikolai and his older brother entered the university, Nikolai began to study art, although he was equally interested in mathematics, astronomy, and medicine.

Education and wandering around the world

In 1494, Nicholas graduated from the university without any academic title. The family decided that the best thing for him would be to devote himself to religion, especially since his uncle had just received the rank of bishop.

But Copernicus doubted this choice. Therefore, together with my brother I decided to travel to Italy. As a result, in 1497 he joined the University of Bologna. The Faculty of Law, which also studied canon and church law, was considered the most popular at that time. Therefore, Nikolai chose this faculty for himself. Moreover, it was also possible to study astronomy there.

Copernicus carried out his first scientific experiment in this area together with the astronomer Domenico Navarra - they realized that the distance from the Earth to the Moon when it is in square is more or less the same: both during the full moon and during the new moon. Thus, their discovery completely erased Ptolemy's theory.

And while Copernicus was making his first scientific discoveries, his uncle still could not get rid of the idea of promoting him up the career ladder in the clergy. So, in 1498, he was elected canon in Warmia in absentia. A year later, his older brother Andrzej also became a canon. But this rank did not help either brother or the other. Bologna was a very expensive city, and both guys turned out to be almost beggars. Fortunately, another canon Bernard Sculteti came to their aid, who repeatedly helped them financially.

In 1500, Nicholas left Bologna and the university, again without a diploma or title. Historians disagree about the next few years of his life. Some claim that Copernicus went to Rome and taught at one of the universities there, others say that Nicholas returned to Poland for a short time and then went to Padua, where he studied medicine.

Be that as it may, in 1503 Copernicus received the degree of Doctor of Theology, this happened at the University of Ferrara. For the next three years he lived in the town of Padua, practicing medicine there. But in 1506 he still returned to Poland. They say that my uncle decided to use cunning: he lied about his illness, thereby summoning Copernicus to Krakow. There Copernicus works as his uncle's secretary, teaches astronomy and is engaged in science.

War and defense of Olsztyn

In 1512, Copernicus's uncle died, and he moved to the town of Frombork, where he had been appointed canon many years earlier. There, in one of the towers of the fortress, he built himself an observatory and continued scientific research.

For several years now he had been carrying his theory about the astronomical system in his head, and he often discussed it with his scientist friends. A draft of his manuscript on the rotation of celestial bodies had been ready for ten years, but he was in no hurry to publish it. I simply distributed it among my astronomer friends.

But Copernicus did not live only by research. In 1516, he took over the duties of governor of the Olsztyn and Penenzhne districts. But even when his term of office expired three years later, he still could not fully return to science - there was a war with the crusaders, and he needed to take care of the territory that was entrusted to him - Warmia. Therefore, Copernicus took over the command and organization of the defense of the fortress. Thus, the scientist managed to save Olsztyn from the enemy attack. For his courage, he was appointed commissar of Warmia in 1521, and two years later - general administrator of the area - this is the highest position that anyone could apply for. In the same year, after the election of a new bishop, he was entrusted with the post of chancellor of Warmia, and after that Copernicus was given a little rest and again engaged in scientific work.

Criticism of Ptolemy

Already in the 1520s, Copernicus clearly understood that Ptolemy was wrong: the Earth is not the only planet that moves around the Sun. The only thing where Nikolai himself made a mistake was that he believed that the stars themselves were motionless. But the explanation here is quite simple: at that time there were no such powerful telescopes to capture the movement of stars across the sky.

Rumors spread throughout Europe about a new scientist who is rediscovering the world. Almost all famous scientists in the world spoke about his heliocentric system. Although work on “On the Rotation of the Celestial Spheres” lasted quite a long time - almost 40 years, because Copernicus constantly clarified something and introduced new calculations.

Last years of life and death

In 1531, the already middle-aged Copernicus retired from all affairs in order to devote himself only to science. His health worsened every year. Nevertheless, he still found the strength to practice medicine for free.

In 1542, Copernicus suffered from paralysis - the right side of his body was taken away. He died at the age of 70 from a stroke. Some of his contemporaries claimed that he managed to see his greatest work published - on the heliocentric system, although biographers say that this is impossible, since the scientist spent many weeks before his death in a coma.

In 2005, unknown remains were found, which, after DNA analysis with two hairs from Copernicus, turned out to be his skull and bones. In 2010 they were reburied in the cathedral of Frombork.

Scientific achievements

Copernicus proved that the planets move around the sun, and not vice versa, as was previously believed. In addition, he read that the Sun is the center of the world. The movements of the planets, as Copernicus believed, are not uniform and not the same.

Only a few years after the death of the scientist, the church realized that his work denied some of the tenets of the sacred letter, and only then did it begin to be confiscated and burned.

Nicolaus Copernicus was one of the first to voice the theory of universal gravitation.

The scientist also noticed a phenomenon that over time became known as the Copernicus-Gresham law, when people accumulate savings in a more valuable currency, and use cheaper ones in everyday life. At that time the talk was about gold and copper.

Only in the 19th century were monuments erected to Copernicus in Warsaw, Krakow, Torun and Regensburg, and later also in Olsztyn, Gdansk and Wroclaw. In the central square of Polish Torun there is a monument to Copernicus, on which there is an inscription: “He who stopped the Sun - who moved the Earth.”
Chemical element No. 112 - “copernicium”, the minor planet (1322) Coppernicus, craters on the Moon and Mars are named in honor of Copernicus.
In 1973, the 500th anniversary of Copernicus was celebrated worldwide, 47 countries issued about 200 stamps and postage blocks (even the Vatican issued four stamps). Another anniversary came in 1993 (450th anniversary of his death), 15 countries celebrated it by issuing about 50 stamps and postage blocks.
There is a version, not supported by documents, that Pope Leo X invited Copernicus to take part in the preparation of the calendar reform (1514, implemented only in 1582), but he politely refused.

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Copernicus Nicholas (1473-1543) - an outstanding Polish astronomer, physician, mechanic, theologian, mathematician and economist. He lived and made discoveries during the Renaissance. He is the author of the heliocentric system of the world; Nikolai refuted the geocentric system of the ancient Greeks and suggested that the central celestial body in the Universe is the Sun, and the Earth and other planets revolve around it. Thus, by changing the model of the universe, Copernicus marked the beginning of the first scientific revolution.

Childhood

Nicholas was born in the city of Toruń, Royal Prussia, on February 19, 1473. His father, Nicolaus Copernicus Sr., was a merchant from Krakow. Mom, Barbara Watzenrode, was of German descent.

More than five hundred years have passed, the borders of states and their names have changed, so there is still debate about which country the great astronomer was born in and what his nationality is. The city of Torun became part of the Kingdom of Poland just seven years before the birth of Copernicus. The nationality of the father is not known for certain.

His mother's roots provide every basis for the assertion that Nikolai was ethnically at least half German. Perhaps, due to his political-territorial affiliation, he considered himself a Pole. Only one thing is known for sure: Copernicus never wrote a single document in Polish, only in Latin and German.

Nikolai was the fourth child in the family. Two girls and a boy were born before him. One of the sisters (Barbara), upon becoming an adult, became a nun; the second (Katerina) got married and left Toruń. She had five children, whom Nikolai loved very much. He cared for them until the end of his life, as if they were his own. Brother Andrzej became Nikolai’s faithful companion and comrade-in-arms; together they studied at universities and then traveled half of Europe.

Since the father was a merchant, the family lived in abundance. But this happiness did not last long. When the youngest of the children, Nikolai, was only nine years old, a plague epidemic broke out in Europe, which claimed tens of thousands of human lives. A terrible illness overtook the head of the family, Copernicus the Elder, as a result of which he died. All worries about the family now fell on Barbara's shoulders. It was difficult for the woman to cope with everything, and her brother Lukasz Watzenrode took her and her children into their care. In 1489, their mother also died, the children were left complete orphans in the care of their uncle.

Lukasz was a local Catholic bishop, he was considered a skilled diplomat and was entrusted with various delicate assignments of a political nature. My uncle was very well-read and intelligent, a doctor of canon law at the University of Bologna, a master's degree at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Lukash had a cool temperament, but he loved his youngest nephew Nikolai very much, gave him fatherly warmth and often spoiled him. In the younger Copernicus, the uncle saw his successor, so he instilled in him an interest in learning and a desire for education.

Education

Nikolai was fifteen years old when he graduated from school in his hometown, and received further education at the cathedral school of Włocławsk. It was here that he began to take a keen interest in astronomy. This was facilitated by a teacher who had an unusual surname: Vodka. The teacher himself adhered to a sober lifestyle and asked his colleagues and students to call him Abstemius, which translated from Latin meant “abstinent.” Teacher Vodka was excellent at making a sundial. Communicating with him, Copernicus first thought about the fact that the Earth is mutually positioned in relation to the Sun.

In 1491, Uncle Lukasz made a patronage for his nephews Nicholas and Andrzej to enter the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. This institution at that time was famous for its educational programs in astronomy, mathematics and philosophy. The guys were admitted to the university to study at the art department. An approach to science from a philosophical perspective was encouraged here. The Copernicus brothers engaged in in-depth study of mathematics, theology, astronomy, medicine and theology. The educational institution had an intellectual atmosphere, which developed critical thinking among students.

At the University of Krakow, young Copernicus took up astronomy no longer at the level of idle interest, but rather seriously. He attended lectures by famous scientists.

In 1494, Nicholas graduated from the university, but did not receive any academic title. Together with his brother, he wanted to go to Italy to continue his studies. But there was no money for such a trip, and the brothers planned that Uncle Lukash, who by that time had become the Bishop of Emerland, would help them financially. However, the uncle said that he did not have any free money. He suggested that his nephews earn money by becoming canons in his diocese, and then use the funds received to go study abroad.

Copernicus worked for a little more than two years and in 1497 went to Italy. Uncle Lukash contributed to the fact that his nephew was given a three-year leave for study, was given a salary in advance, and was also elected in absentia as a canon to the diocese of Warmia.

Nikolai entered the oldest educational institution in Europe - the University of Bologna. He chose the Faculty of Law, where he studied canonical ecclesiastical law. Students were taught ancient languages (Nicholas was especially interested in Greek) and theology, and he again had the opportunity to study astronomy. The young Copernicus was also fascinated by painting; from then on, a painting has survived to this day, which is considered a copy of his self-portrait. In Bologna, Nikolai met and began to communicate closely with the Italian scientist Scipio del Ferro, whose discoveries marked the beginning of the revival of European mathematics.

But the decisive factor in the fate of Copernicus was a meeting with professor of astronomy Domenico Maria Novara de Ferrara. Together with his teacher, Nikolai made the first astronomical observation in his life, as a result of which they concluded that on the full moon and new moon the distance to the Moon in quadrature is the same. After this observation, Copernicus for the first time doubted the validity of Ptolemy's theory, according to which the Earth is the center of the Universe with celestial bodies revolving around it.

After studying at the University of Bologna for three years, Nikolai had to return to his homeland, since the period of leave granted to him for studying had expired. He again did not receive a diploma or title. Arriving at their place of service in the city of Frauenburg in 1500, they and their brother again asked to delay their return to work and be given leave to complete their studies.

In 1502, the Copernicus brothers' request was granted, and they again went to Italy to further study medical science at the University of Padua.

In 1503, at the University of Ferrara, Nicholas nevertheless passed the exams and left the educational institution as a doctor of canon law. Uncle Lukash allowed him not to return home, and Nikolai began practicing medicine in Padua, Italy.

Scientific activity

In 1506, Copernicus received a letter stating that his uncle’s condition had worsened (perhaps it was far-fetched). Nikolai left for his homeland. Over the next six years, he lived in the episcopal castle of Heilsberg, served as Uncle Lukash's confidant and secretary, and was also his attending physician. At the same time, he managed to engage in teaching activities in Krakow, conducted astronomical observations and developed a treatise on monetary reform.

In 1512, Uncle Lukash died. Nicholas had to move to a small town on the shores of the Vistula Lagoon, Frombork, where he was listed as a canon. Here he began to fulfill his church duties and continued to engage in scientific observations. He worked alone and did not use any outside help or advice. There were no optical instruments yet, and Copernicus conducted all his research from the northwestern tower of the fortress, which was located near the wall of the monastery. Here he set up his observatory.

When the new astronomical system clearly presented itself to his consciousness, Nikolai set to work on a book in which he decided to describe a different model of the world. He made no secret of his observations; he shared them with friends, among whom there were many like-minded people.

By 1530, Nicholas completed his first great work, “On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres.” In this work, he assumed that the Earth rotates around its axis within one day, and around the Sun within a year. For that time it was an unimaginably fantastic idea. Before this, everyone considered the motionless Earth to be the center of the Universe, around which stars, planets and the Sun revolve.

News quickly spread throughout Europe about a new outstanding astronomer. At first there was no persecution of the concept he proposed. Firstly, Nikolai formulated his ideas very carefully. Secondly, for a long time the church fathers themselves could not decide whether to consider the heliocentric model of the world a heresy. So Copernicus was luckier than his followers Galileo Galilei and Giordano Bruno.

Copernicus was in no hurry to publish his book, since he was a perfectionist by nature, and believed that he needed to double-check his observations several times. In total, he worked on the book for forty years, making changes, adjustments and clarifications, and preparing new astronomical calculation tables. The scientist's main work was published in 1543, but he never found out about it because he was already in a coma on his deathbed. Some details of this theory were later corrected and refined by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler.

Copernicus was engaged not only in scientific, but also in practical activities:

He developed a project according to which a new coinage system was introduced in Poland.
During the Polish-Teutonic War, he became the organizer of the defense of bishops from the Teutons. After the conflict ended, he took part in peace negotiations, which resulted in the creation of the first Protestant state - the Duchy of Prussia.
He designed a new water supply system in the city of Frombork, thanks to which a hydraulic machine was built and all houses were supplied with water.
In 1519, as a doctor, he devoted his efforts to eliminating the plague epidemic.

Since 1531, Nicholas devoted all his time only to the heliocentric system and free medical practice. Since his health was getting worse, Copernicus received a lot of help from like-minded people, friends and students.

Personal life

Nikolai was already over fifty years old when he first truly fell in love. In 1528, he met a young girl, Anna, who was the daughter of his good friend Matz Schilling, who worked as a metal carver. Anna and Nikolai met in Copernicus’s hometown of Toruń.

Since he was a Catholic clergyman, Nicholas was forbidden to have relationships with women and marry. Then he settled the girl in his house as a distant relative and housekeeper. But soon Anna was forced to leave the scientist’s house, since the new bishop clearly and clearly explained to his subordinate that the church did not welcome such actions.

Illness and death

In 1542, Copernicus became significantly worse and completely paralyzed his right side. In March 1543, he fell into a coma and remained in it until his death. On May 24, 1543, as a result of a stroke, the great scientist’s heart stopped.

For a long time, the place of his burial was unknown. In 2005, archaeological excavations were carried out in the city of Frombork, as a result of which human remains were discovered - leg bones and a skull. The reconstruction of the skull, carried out using special methods, corresponded to the signs of Copernicus himself. It is known that the scientist had a broken bridge of his nose and a scar above his left eye; such marks were also found on the found skull. The examination also determined that the skull belonged to a man who died at the age of seventy. We conducted a comparative DNA analysis of the discovered remains and hair found earlier in one of Copernicus’s books (this rarity was kept in the library of a Swedish university). As a result, it was revealed that these are indeed the remains of the great astronomer.

In 2010 they were reburied in Frombork Cathedral. There are many monuments to Copernicus throughout Poland; the university in Torun and the international airport in Wroclaw bear his name. One of the monuments bears the inscription: “He who stopped the Sun, who moved the Earth.”

Nicolaus Copernicus is an outstanding Polish astronomer of the Renaissance, mathematician, theologian, and physician. The scientist refuted the theory put forward by the ancient Greeks, according to which the planets and the Sun revolve around the Earth, created and substantiated a new, heliocentric theory of the world order.

Nicolaus Copernicus was the fourth child in the family of a German woman, Barbara Watzenrode, and Nicolaus Copernicus, a merchant from Krakow. Over time, the borders of states and names have changed repeatedly, so the question of where, in what country the scientist was born, often arises. This happened in the Prussian city of Thorn on February 19, 1473. Today the town is called Toruń and is located on the territory of modern Poland.

Nicholas had two older sisters, one later became a nun, and the other got married and left the city. The elder brother Andrzej became Nikolai's faithful comrade-in-arms and companion. Together they traveled half of Europe, studying at the best universities.

The Copernicians lived in prosperity and prosperity as long as the father of the family was alive. When Nicholas was nine years old, a plague epidemic broke out in Europe, claiming tens of thousands of lives. Copernicus the Elder also fell victim to a terrible disease, and a few years later, in 1489, his mother also died. The family was left without a livelihood, and the children were orphans. Everything could have ended badly if not for Barbara’s uncle, Lukasz Watzenrode, a canon of the local diocese.

Being an educated man at that time, Luke had a master's degree from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow and a doctorate in canon law from the University of Bologna, and subsequently served as a bishop. Luka took upon himself the care of the children of his deceased sister and tried to educate Nikolai and Andrzej.

After Nicholas graduated from the local school in 1491, the brothers, under the patronage and at the expense of their uncle, went to Krakow, where they entered the Jagiellonian University at the Faculty of Arts. This event marked the beginning of a new stage in the biography of Copernicus, the first on the path to future great discoveries in science and philosophy.

The science

After graduating from the University of Krakow in 1496, the Copernicus brothers set off on a trip to Italy. Funds for the trip were initially planned to be obtained from his uncle, the Bishop of Emerland, but he did not have any free money. Luke invited his nephews to become canons of his own diocese and use the salary they received to go study abroad. In 1487, Andrzej and Nicholas were accepted into the position of canons in absentia, with a salary paid in advance and a three-year leave for study.

The brothers entered the University of Bologna at the Faculty of Law, where they studied church canon law. In Bologna, fate brought Nicholas together with an astronomy teacher, Domenico Maria Novara, and this meeting became decisive for the young Copernicus.

Together with Novara in 1497, the future scientist made the first astronomical observation in his life. The result was the conclusion that the distance to the Moon is the same in quadrature, during the new moon and the full moon. This observation first made Copernicus doubt the truth of the theory that all celestial bodies revolve around the Earth.

In addition to studying works on law, mathematics and astronomy in Bologna, Nikolai studied Greek and was interested in painting. A painting that is considered a copy of Copernicus’s self-portrait has survived to this day.

After studying in Bologna for three years, the brothers left the university and returned to their homeland in Poland for some time. In the city of Frauenburg, at the place of service, Copernicus asked for a deferment and a few more years to continue his studies. According to some reports, during this period Nicholas lived in Rome and gave lectures on mathematics to noble dignitaries from high society, and Borgia helped Pope Alexander VI master the laws of astronomy.

In 1502, the Copernicus brothers arrived in Padua. At the University of Padua, Nikolai acquired fundamental knowledge and practical experience in medicine, and at the University of Ferrara he received a Doctor of Theology degree. As a result of this extensive study, Copernicus returned home in 1506 as a well-rounded adult.

"Copernicus. Conversation with God." Artist Jan Matejko

By the time they returned to Poland, Nikolai was already 33 years old, and his brother Andrzej was 42 years old. At that time, this age was considered generally accepted for obtaining university diplomas and completing education.

Copernicus' further activities were connected with his position as canon. The brilliant scientist managed to make a career as a clergyman while simultaneously engaging in scientific research. He was lucky that his works were completed only at the end of his life, and his books were published after his death.

Copernicus happily escaped the persecution of the church for his radical views and the teaching of the heliocentric system, which his successors and successors failed to do. After the death of Copernicus, the scientist’s main ideas, reflected in the work “On the Rotations of the Celestial Spheres,” spread unhindered throughout Europe and the world. It was not until 1616 that this theory was declared heresy and banned by the Catholic Church.

Heliocentric system

Nicolaus Copernicus was one of the first to think about the imperfection of the Ptolemaic system of the universe, according to which the Sun and other planets revolve around the Earth. Using primitive astronomical instruments, partly homemade, the scientist was able to derive and substantiate the theory of the heliocentric solar system.

At the same time, Copernicus, until the end of his life, believed that distant stars and luminaries visible from the Earth were fixed on a special sphere surrounding our planet. This misconception was caused by the imperfection of technical means of that time, because in Renaissance Europe there was not even a simple telescope. Some details of Copernicus's theory, in which the ancient Greek astronomers were of the opinion, were subsequently eliminated and refined by Johannes Kepler.

The main work of the scientist’s entire life was the fruit of thirty years of work and was published in 1543 with the participation of Copernicus’s favorite student, Rheticus. The astronomer himself had the good fortune of holding the published book in his hands on the eve of his death.

The work dedicated to Pope Paul III was divided into six parts. The first part talked about the sphericity of the Earth and the entire universe, the second told about the basics of spherical astronomy and the rules for calculating the location of stars and planets in the firmament. The third part of the book is devoted to the nature of the equinoxes, the fourth - to the Moon, the fifth - to all planets, the sixth - to the reasons for changes in latitudes.

The teachings of Copernicus are a great contribution to the development of astronomy and the science of the universe.

Personal life

From 1506 to 1512, during his uncle’s lifetime, Nicholas served as a canon in Frombork, then became an adviser to the bishop, and then the chancellor of the diocese. After the death of Bishop Luke, Nikolai moves to Fraenburg and becomes a canon of the local cathedral, and his brother, who fell ill with leprosy, leaves the country.

In 1516, Copernicus received the post of chancellor of the Warmia diocese and moved to the city of Olsztyn for four years. Here the scientist was caught in the war that Prussia waged with the knights of the Teutonic Order. The cleric showed himself to be a surprisingly competent military strategist, managing to ensure proper defense and protection of the fortress, which withstood the onslaught of the Teutons.

In 1521 Copernicus returned to Frombrok. He practiced medicine and was known as a skilled healer. According to some reports, Nicolaus Copernicus relieved illnesses and alleviated the lot of many sick people, mostly his fellow canons.

In 1528, in his declining years, the astronomer fell in love for the first time. The scientist’s chosen one turned out to be a young girl, Anna, the daughter of Copernicus’s friend, metal carver Matz Schilling. The acquaintance took place in the scientist’s hometown, Toruń. Since Catholic clergy were forbidden to marry or have relationships with women, Copernicus settled Anna with him as a distant relative and housekeeper.

However, soon the girl had to leave first from the scientist’s house, and then completely leave the city, since the new bishop made it clear to his subordinate that the church did not welcome this state of affairs.

Death

In 1542, Copernicus's book On the Sides and Angles of Triangles, Both Plane and Spherical, was published in Wittenberg. The main work was published in Nuremberg a year later. The scientist was dying when his students and friends brought the first printed copy of the book “On the Rotation of the Celestial Spheres.” The great astronomer and mathematician died at home in Frombork, surrounded by loved ones on May 24, 1543.

Copernicus's posthumous fame corresponds to the merits and achievements of the scientist. Thanks to portraits and photographs, the astronomer’s face is known to every schoolchild, monuments stand in different cities and countries, and Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland is named in his honor.

Copernicus's discoveries

creation and substantiation of the theory of the heliocentric system of the world, which marked the beginning of the first scientific revolution;
development of a new coinage system in Poland;
construction of a hydraulic machine that supplied water to all houses in the city;
co-author of the Copernican-Gresham economic law;
calculation of real planetary motion.

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The discoveries of the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus not only made it possible to create a new scientific paradigm, but also made a real revolution in human consciousness, becoming the basis for a new picture of the world. The Renaissance, during which the scientist worked, became a turning point for the life of all of Europe. It was then that the most progressive representatives of humanity made breakthroughs in many areas of knowledge. Copernicus's work marked the beginning of another scientific revolution and became part of the new natural science.

short biography

The famous canon and astronomer was born in the city of Toruń into a wealthy merchant family on February 19, 1473. Since Torun at the turn of the 15th-16th century changed hands several times, becoming the property of either the Teutonic Order or the Polish king, Germany and Poland are still arguing about what nationality Copernicus was. Now Torun is part of Poland.

In the early 1480s, a plague epidemic broke out in Europe, killing many thousands of people, including Nicolaus Copernicus the Elder, the father of the future scientist. In 1489, the mother of the family also died. Their uncle, Lukasz Wachenrode, who was the bishop of the Warm diocese, took custody of the remaining orphans. He gave a very good education to his nephews - Nikolai and his older brother Andrzej.

After the young people graduated from school in Torun, they continued their education at the cathedral school in Włocławsk, and then went to Krakow, where they entered the Jagiellonian University at the Faculty of Arts. Here Nikolai met the famous astronomer of that time - Professor Wojciech Brudzewski. Brudzewski believed that a scientist should respect the works of his predecessors, but not stop at the empty reproduction of other people’s theories, but move on and learn to compare the works of classics with the latest hypotheses. Brudzewski's approach largely determined the future scientific path of Copernicus himself.

In 1495, the brothers graduated from the university, became canons in their uncle's diocese and went to Italy. Here they continued their education at the Faculty of Law of the University of Bologna. Within the walls of Bologna, Nicolaus Copernicus met an astronomy teacher, Domenico Maria di Novara. Together with the teacher, Copernicus began to regularly observe the stars. It was then that he noticed that the real movement of the heavenly bodies did not correspond to the scheme of the geocentric Universe described by Ptolemy.

After studying in Bologna, Copernicus continued to travel around Italy. For some time, Nikolai lectured on mathematics in Rome and communicated with representatives of the Italian nobility. In the early 1500s, Copernicus was also educated in Padua and Ferrara. Here he became acquainted with medicine and received a doctorate in theology. A few years later, at the insistence of his uncle, the scientist returned to Poland and became the personal secretary and at the same time the house physician of Bishop Wachenrode. At the same time, he continued his studies in astronomy in Krakow. Almost a ten-year stay in Italy made Copernicus a comprehensively erudite person who absorbed the latest achievements of all major applied sciences.

In 1516, after the death of Bishop Wachenrode, Nicolaus Copernicus moved to Frombork and began to carry out the usual duties of a canon, at which time he began to develop his heliocentric system.

However, Poland remembers Nicolaus Copernicus not only as a brilliant astronomer and clergyman. Also he:

developed some economic laws that made it possible to carry out monetary reform in Poland,
how a doctor successfully fought the plague,
compiled detailed maps of Poland, Lithuania and the Vistula (now Kaliningrad) Lagoon,
invented a system for supplying water to Frombork houses,
during the Polish-Teutonic War he led the defense of the city.

In addition to astronomy, Nicolaus Copernicus was interested in painting, studying foreign languages and mathematics.

Since Copernicus’s works on his heliocentric system were published at the very end of the scientist’s life, the Catholic Church did not have time to take the necessary measures against the dissident astronomer. Nicolaus Copernicus died of a stroke on May 24, 1543, surrounded by his friends and students.

Development of the heliocentric system

Medieval Europe inherited ancient ideas about the structure of the cosmos, namely the geocentric system of Claudius Ptolemy, developed in the 2nd century AD. e. Ptolemy taught that:

The Earth is at the center of the Universe;
She is motionless;
All celestial bodies rotate around the Earth at a constant speed along certain lines - epicycles and deferents.

The Greek scientist left notes that also concerned calculations of the distance between space objects and the speed of their movement. For many centuries, the Ptolemaic system was generally accepted throughout Europe. Based on it, people calculated the fairways of ships, determined the length of the year and compiled calendars.

The first attempts to create different ideas about the Universe arose even before the birth of Ptolemy. Some ancient astronomers believed that the Earth, like other celestial bodies, revolves around the Sun, located at the center of the world. However, these theories have not found wide circulation.

Even while studying the starry sky under the leadership of Novara, Nicolaus Copernicus noticed that the paths along which the planets moved that he observed did not correspond to the epicycles of Ptolemy. Initially, the scientist only wanted to make minor corrections to his predecessor’s system, however, the observations yielded stunning results. The actual motion of the planets in their orbits clearly indicated that they did not revolve around the Earth, but around the Sun.

Astronomical observations, carried out already in Frombork, were not easy for Copernicus. In addition to the fact that he devoted most of his time to his direct duties as a canon, the astronomer was greatly hampered by weather conditions. Frombork was located on the shores of the Vistula Lagoon, so there were always thick sea fogs over the town. For his work, Copernicus primarily used only two tools:

Triquetrum - a special ruler that made it possible to determine the zenith distances of astronomical objects;
Horoscope, with the help of which it was possible to determine the height of heavenly bodies above the horizon.

Despite the fact that Copernicus’s arsenal of astronomical instruments was not so large, the scientist managed to make complex and very accurate calculations, which laid the foundation for the formation of a new scientific paradigm. It is curious that the technical tools that make it possible to directly prove the rotation of the Earth around the Sun appeared only 200 years after the death of the scientist.

Copernicus was a sensible man and understood that his revolutionary conclusions could lead to accusations of heresy. Therefore, although the scientist did not make much secret of his observations, all his formulations were quite careful and streamlined. His hypotheses were outlined in a small work - “Small Commentaries”. This book was not intended for a wide range of readers and passed from hand to hand among Copernicus' friends.

The astronomer was also saved by the fact that the Catholic Church had not yet come to a consensus: whether to consider supporters of heliocentrism as heretics or not. In addition, the Catholic hierarchs needed the services of Copernicus: at the beginning of the 16th century, the question arose of creating a new calendar and establishing the exact dates of church holidays. First of all, it was necessary to develop a formula to calculate the exact date of Easter. The old Julian calendar complicated calculations because it did not take into account about 8 hours a year, and required reworking. Copernicus, invited for these purposes, stated that such serious work should be based on careful astronomical observations. In particular, it was necessary to establish the exact length of the year and the trajectories of the Sun, Moon and neighboring planets.

While working on the new calendar, Copernicus was finally convinced of the falsity of the geocentric system. Many of Copernicus' solutions were ideal for a situation in which the Earth revolved around the sun, and not vice versa.

In the early 1530s, Copernicus decided to present his ideas in a completed and edited version. This is how work begins on the most important work of the scientist’s entire life - “On the revolutions of celestial bodies.” Copernicus did not forget about caution, so he presented his conclusions as just one of the possible theories of the structure of the Universe. The book included not only the results of astronomical observations, but also the very essence of Copernicus’ philosophical views. He wrote that:

The earth is spherical, it revolves around the sun and is just one of many planets, and not the center of the universe;
Movement is relative, we can talk about it only if there is a reference point;
Space is much larger than the area visible from Earth and is most likely infinite.

At the same time, the scientist did not abandon the idea of creating the world by a divine essence.

“On the Revolutions of Celestial Bodies” was published a few days before the astronomer’s death - in May 1543. Thus, Copernicus devoted almost 40 years to the development of the heliocentric system - from the moment the first inaccuracies were discovered in the works of Ptolemy until the final version of his views was formalized.

The fate of the scientific heritage of Nicolaus Copernicus

At first, Copernicus's book did not cause much concern among Catholics. This was due to two reasons. Firstly, the abundance of formulas, numbers and diagrams was incomprehensible to an unprepared person. Secondly, the scientist very subtly presented his ideas in the form of just an alternative view. Therefore, the astronomer’s work spread freely throughout Europe for quite a long time. A few years later, the hierarchs realized the danger of the teaching set forth in “On the Revolutions of Celestial Bodies.” But this, however, did not stop them from using the results of Copernicus’ work to compile a new calendar. In 1582, despite the fact that the late Copernicus was considered a heretic, Europe began to gradually switch to the modern Gregorian calendar, based on the calculations of the disgraced astronomer.

The revolutionary ideas of Copernicus contradicted the picture of the world, which was strongly supported by the Catholic Church. Accepting the heliocentric system meant recognizing that:

The earth, which was God's creation, is not at the center, but at the periphery of the Universe;
There is no celestial hierarchy;
The idea of anthropocentrism is controversial;
There is no cosmic prime mover.

However, for a long time the name of Copernicus was forgotten. At the end of the 16th century, the Italian Dominican monk Giordano Bruno popularized the ideas of Copernicus. Unlike the Polish astronomer, he was not afraid to hide his views and preach them openly. This led Bruno to death at the stake, but at the same time made a real revolution in the minds of progressive Europeans. They started talking about Copernicus, and the best minds of that time began to get acquainted with his system.

Only in 1616, a special commission of inquisitors decided to include Copernicus’s book in the “Index of Prohibited Books.” However, the spread of heliocentrism could no longer be stopped. Despite all the prohibitions and rigidity of religious dogma, the doctrine of the central position of the Sun in the Universe had become generally accepted by the beginning of the 17th century.