__NOTOC__ Marcin Bylica (c.1433 in

Olkusz Olkusz ( yi, עלקיש ''Elkish'', german: 1941-45 Ilkenau) is a town in southern Poland with 36,607 inhabitants (2014). Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Katowice Voivodeship (1975–1998), it is the capita ...

– 1493 in Buda), also known as Martin Bylica and Marcin z Olkusza, was a Polish astrologer,

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 ...

, and physician at the court of

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several m ...

, King of Hungary.

Biography

Son of

burgher Burgher may refer to: * Burgher (social class), a medieval, early modern European title of a citizen of a town, and a social class from which city officials could be drawn ** Burgess (title), a resident of a burgh in northern Britain ** Grand Bu ...

Jan, waterworks caretaker of

. He studied first probably at parish school in Olkusz, and later at the University of Cracow, where he doubtless studied under the astronomer Marcin Król z Żurawicy. Bylica later taught astronomy at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continu ...

in 1463. In 1464, he was in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

as the astrologer to a cardinal - either Pietro Barbo, who was elevated to the papacy as Paul II in that year, or Rodrigo Borgia, the future pope

Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...

. In Rome, Bylica met

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 ...

and began a fruitful collaboration with him. They jointly developed astronomical tables and ''Disputationes inter Viennensem et Cracoviensem super Cremonensia in planetarum theoriae deliramenta'' ( lat. ''Dialogues between a Viennese and a Cracovian about

Gerard of Cremona Gerard of Cremona (Latin: ''Gerardus Cremonensis''; c. 1114 – 1187) was an Italian translator of scientific books from Arabic into Latin. He worked in Toledo, Kingdom of Castile and obtained the Arabic books in the libraries at Toledo. Some of ...

's thoughts on planetary theories'') - a critique of an obsolete astronomy book. Not long after, Bylica and Regiomontaus were summoned by John Vitéz, archbishop of Esztergom, and his nephew

Janus Pannonius Janus Pannonius ( la, Ioannes Pannonius, hr, Ivan Česmički, hu, Csezmiczei János or ; 29 August 1434 – 27 March 1472) was a Croatian- Hungarian Latinist, poet, diplomat and Bishop of Pécs. He was the most significant poet of the Re ...

, bishop of

Pécs Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...

, to join their recently founded university in Presburg, known as the

Universitas Istropolitana The Universitas Istropolitana (since the 16th century frequently – but incorrectly – referred to as Academia Istropolitana) in Bratislava ( hu, Pozsony / german: Pressburg) was arguably the third university to be found in the Kingdom of Hungar ...

''. Working in the palace of

Esztergom Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river Dan ...

where John Vitéz had installed an astronomic observatory, they set the ''Tabulæ directionum et profectionum'' in 1467. These tables were meant to allow astrologers to predict the future based on one's date of birth. They proved popular, going through 11 printed editions by 1626. In the spring of 1468, Bylica became the official astrologer of

, King of Hungary. The appointment followed a public

disputation In the scholastic system of education of the Middle Ages, disputations (in Latin: ''disputationes'', singular: ''disputatio'') offered a formalized method of debate designed to uncover and establish truths in theology and in sciences. Fixed ru ...

he had with his colleague Johannes Stercz, almost certainly in Presburg, in the presence of the king and his court, about the horoscope of the conception of the son of count János Rozgon. By Bylica's own account, Stercz was humiliated.Martin Bylica, ''Epistola ad Stanislaum Bylica de Olkusz de modo rectificandi genituras humanas'' (Cracow, Jagiellonian University Library, rkp. 616, fol. 146v). Matthias declared Bylica the winner and awarded him 100 florins. Bylica subsequently became one of Corvinus' closest councilors. At his death, Bylica bequeathed an important collection of books and astronomical instruments, which survive to this day, to the university in Cracow. The book collection includes works by

and

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 ...

, as well as the ''Tractatus Astrarii'' by

Giovanni Dondi dell'Orologio Giovanni Dondi dell'Orologio (c. 1330 – 1388), also known as Giovanni de' Dondi, was an Italian physician, astronomer and mechanical engineer in Padua, now in Italy. He is remembered today as a pioneer in the art of clock design and construct ...

. There is a street named after him in his hometown, Olkusz.

Works

* with Regiomontanus, ''Disputationes inter Viennensem et Cracoviensem super Cremonensia in planetarum theoriae deliramenta''. * ''Vitae archiepiscoporum gnesnensium'', published in full after 1680.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Birkenmajer, Alexander. "Bylica Marcin." In ''

Polski Słownik Biograficzny ''Polski Słownik Biograficzny'' (''PSB''; Polish Biographical Dictionary) is a Polish-language biographical dictionary, comprising an alphabetically arranged compilation of authoritative biographies of some 25,000 notable Poles and of foreigner ...

'', vol. 3: Brożek Jan – Chwalczewski Franciszek. Cracow, 1989. . * Birkenmajer, Alexander. "L'université de Cracovie, centre international d'enseignement astronomique à la fin du Moyen Âge." In ''Études d'histoire des sciences en Pologne'', 483-95. Cracow, 1972. * Lajos Bartha. "Ein Renaissance Himmelsglobus als astronomisches Instrument: der Dorn-Bylica-Globus aus dem Jahr 1480 = A Renaissance Celestial Globe as an Astronomic Instrument: the Dorn-Bylica Globe, 1480." ''Der Globusfreund'' 38 (1990), 37-44. * Hayton, Darin. "Martin Bylica at the Court of Matthias Corvinus: Astrology and Politics in Renaissance Hungary." ''Centaurus'' 49, n°3 (August 2007): 185-98. * Boudet, Jean-Patrice, and Darin Hayton. "Matthias Corvin et l'horoscope de fondation de l'université de Presbourg en 1467." In ''Matthias Corvin, les bibliothèques princières et la genèse de l'État moderne (actes de colloque)'', edited by Jean-François Maillard, István Monok and Donatella Nebbiai, 205-14. Budapest, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bylica, Marcin 1433 births 1493 deaths Polish astrologers 15th-century astrologers 15th-century Polish astronomers People from Olkusz