The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother Pdf

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In her recent book, The Astronomer and the WitchUlinka Rublack reveals how Kepler saved his mother from being burned as a witch. Some 73, people were tried for witchcraft and 40—50, executed in Europe between and More than half of all victims, around 22, were executed in the German lands from and three of every four witches executed during the height of European persecutions spoke some dialect of German. More than 75 per cent of those accused were women. These are remarkable figures. To compare, the Spanish, Portuguese and Roman Inquisitions, with their highly centralised bureaucracies, are estimated to have carried outtrials against all kinds of heresy during the entire period of their activity, and to have executed around 13, victims. This means that far more people were killed in Germany as witches than lost their lives at the hands of these Inquisitions. One of these women was Katharina Kepler, the year-old illiterate mother of the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler, who was accused in the south-west German town of Leonberg in She vehemently denied the charge, and her family were equally outraged. Yet it took six years for the elderly woman to be acquitted, by which time she was so frail that she died within months. Reading the records gave me a sense of the vulnerability of an elderly women at this point in time and what was required to save her. The Keplers suddenly found themselves fighting to save their mother from a trial, torture, and the likelihood of being burnt to death. I encountered a family under intense emotional strain. Johannes was at the height of his career during these years. Creation to Kepler was about more than the laws of planetary motion he famously defined. From the very beginning his tone was highly emotive as he set out to defend his own reputation at all costs. This was in part because the accusation implicitly raised the question of whether Johannes had been brought up to worship God or the Devil. His mother was not as remote from his world as we might now imagine. As he recalled, Katharina had once taken the six-year-old Johannes up a slope to watch a spectacular comet in the sky — clearly showing interest in cosmic change. At the heart of the trial for Johannes Kepler thus lay an uncomfortable question he addressed in his most important book, The Harmony of the World : To what extent was he like his mother? In Book Four, chapter seven, Kepler set out how different they were, despite the fact that they had been born under an almost identical astrological constellation and shared the same physical constitution. Kepler explained that Katharina had not had the opportunity to receive any The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother education. A brief history of witches by Suzannah Lipscomb. Kepler clearly felt resentful of his mother. Yet he did his utmost to defend her and it is unlikely that she would have survived had it not been for him. A schoolmaster reported that Katharina had been constantly pestering him to read out letters from or send greetings to Johannes. He claimed that one day she had by magic entered his house through locked doors as he and his wife were having dinner and had demanded that, there and then, that he should write a letter to be sent off to Linz, though he no longer remembered its contents. Similarly, 10 years earlier, Katharina had asked the schoolmaster to come to her house and read several letters out to her. It The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother a Sunday, and he had wanted to go to church. Yet Katharina had detained him, pressing him to drink some of the good wine she had in her cellar to thank him. As he was not thirsty he had only sipped from the pewter mug, but Katharina kept prevailing upon him to drink more. Another woman joined them, swallowed most of her wine and had become so ill that she later died. The schoolmaster began to feel pain in his thighs the following day; next, he could only walk holding on to The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother. Now he was almost lame. A woman named Dorothea Klebl also appeared a perfectly trustworthy witness. Born and raised in Leonberg, she was married to the local marksman. She knew that her age was roughly 33 people at this time often did not know their exact age and carefully replied to questions. Her answers revealed surprising as well as legally damning information. Five years ago, she said, she had employed a young local seamstress to carry out some needlework. Just before this time, this girl had worked for Katharina, who had once urged her to stay overnight. Deeply disturbed by the events that had followed, the girl confided in her new employer. On 7 AugustKatharina was first imprisoned in Stuttgart and then led to Leonberg for the beginning of a formal criminal trial. Her youngest son, Christoph, a local The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother, was horrified. He put his entire life on hold and packed up his household, his books and scientific instruments in Linz. He took his family with him to a halfway point by boat, where they stayed in Regensburg on the Danube. Kepler then rented a horse to ride alone on to Ulm and travelled up north to Stuttgart. Johannes put his life and work on hold to defend his mother. He arrived by the end of September. Governor Aulber read out the charges and confirmed his intention to conduct the trial quickly. The Keplers repeated their arguments questioning the legitimacy of a criminal trial. Then, Katharina was led back to her room and chained to the floor. This was how she would spend Christmas — imprisoned in a strange town. There was a strong legal requirement that a bad reputation needed to be well established before an accusation could be made. To establish factual evidence for his defence from superior male witnesses [males were more highly trusted], Kepler had read the depositions closely and now referred to testimony from old Hans Beitelsbacher and the saddler Michael Stahl, both of whom had been reputable members of the court and old enough to have known Katharina for most of her life. They had never thought of her as a bad woman. Quiz: would you have been accused of witchcraft? Any association between these two would make any old, garrulous and frequently disliked woman vulnerable to this far-fetched accusation. Indeed, women considered to be behaving strangely should not automatically be suspected of sorcery, he said. Kepler next set out why it was paramount to distinguish between natural and unnatural illnesses, and went into considerable medical detail to make his statement as authoritative as possible. Its ingenious noting of details that could then be conclusively dismissed [such as inconsistencies in dates or the partiality of witnesses] made this a rhetorical masterpiece. All these magical mystery diseases, Johannes argued, could be explained through medical knowledge and common sense. Johannes did not rule out that sorcery might inflict harm, but said that in these cases the pain was immediate and severe from the start, rather than increasing gradually. Kepler did indeed believe in magic, yet he tried to use his superior analytical skills to unpick the accusations against his mother. When his mother was finally acquitted he was utterly exhausted and did not correspond with even his closest friends for months. Kepler never published his defence, nor did he try to defend any The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother woman charged with witchcraft. In a society in which reputation mattered so much, each accusation implicated those the woman was related to and had raised. Children The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother respond with loyalty and love or hatred, repudiation, insecurity or guilt, and these feelings were likely to be mixed and change as cases evolved. Indeed, every member of the Kepler family, including two further siblings, reacted differently to their mother and to the strain of the charges against her. These were experiences shared by hundreds of thousands of Europeans during the witch craze. The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother find out more, click here. Your guide to the Roman empire: when it was formed, why it split and how it failed, plus its most colourful emperors. More on: Culture. You may like. A very brief history of witches by Suzannah Lipscomb. The war on witches. History explorer: the Pendle witches. The Astronomer and the Witch - Hardcover - Ulinka Rublack - Oxford University Press

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Johannes Kepler was one of the most admired astronomers who ever lived and a key figure in the scientific revolution. Perhaps less well known is that inwhen Kepler was at the height of his career, his wido Johannes Kepler was one of the most admired astronomers who ever lived and a key figure in the scientific revolution. Perhaps less well known is that inwhen Kepler was at the height of his career, his widowed mother Katharina was accused of witchcraft. The proceedings led to a criminal trial that lasted six years, with Kepler conducting his mother's defence. In The Astronomer and the Witch, Ulinka Rublack pieces together the The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother of this extraordinary episode in Kepler's life, one which takes us to the heart of his changing world. First and foremost an intense family drama, the story brings to life the world of a small Lutheran community in the centre of Europe at a time of deep religious and political turmoil - a century after the Reformation, and on the threshold of the Thirty Years' War. Kepler's defence of his mother also offers us a fascinating glimpse into the great astronomer's world view, on the cusp between Reformation and scientific revolution. While advancing rational explanations for the phenomena which his mother's accusers attributed to witchcraft, Kepler nevertheless did not call into question the existence of magic and witches. On the contrary, he clearly believed in them. And, as the story unfolds, it appears that there were moments when even Katharina's children struggled to understand what their mother had done Get A Copy. Kindle Editionpages. More Details Dingle Prize Nominee for History of Science Other Editions 7. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Astronomer and the Witchplease sign up. Be the first to ask a question about The Astronomer and the Witch. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother details. More filters. Sort order. Ulinka Rublack wrote the essay accompanying Holbein's The Dance of Deathonce I finished that, I had a look in the library catalogue to see what else the county had to offer that was written by her. Perhaps I was simply lucky that all the entire county had was this tremendous microhistory, or made I was not so lucky if all her books are good, only further reading can make clear what is written in the stars. This book is about mighty astronomer Johannes Kepler who from observations and analysis Ulinka Rublack wrote the essay accompanying Holbein's The Dance of Deathonce I finished that, I had a look in the library catalogue to see what else the county had to offer that was written by her. This book is about mighty astronomer Johannes Kepler who from observations and analysis defined the three laws of planetary motion - that all orbits are elliptical, that equal areas are swept in equal time, and the third law which I forget, by which I am such is no less significant even if my memory too weak for it. Well the book is not actually about Kepler, it is about his mother, and not actual about his mother but about the fact that his mother was accused of witchcraft, arrested and held on remand - chained up in fact - she was in her early seventies at the time, and so plainly a dangerous woman and in need of iron restraint. And that is what the book is about, how she came to be arrested, how the authorities and her family reacted and the legal struggle to prevent her first from being tortured and to protect her from the threat of execution. This is a microhistory that references The Return of Martin Guerre and The Cheese and the Wormslike them it is based on court records - in this case the town scribe was paid for each page he completed so the record is fairly full - and then expands outwards to consider legal procedures, social relations, gender, cultural and historical context and personality - much of this flowing naturally from the documents prepared by Kepler for his mother's defence. If I came to this book with a hunger to read more by Rublack, I am left with a desire to also read more about Kepler. In the epilogue Rublack points out the divided opinions over Kepler's mother - amusingly, or not, reflecting or continuing the attitudes current at the time of her accusation. Germany books apparently tend to portray Katerina Kepler as a healer working with herbs for the good of the community, while Rublack darkly hints at a certain unnamed American historian suggesting that she actually was a witch, or at least a cantankerous rotten old crone who by implication deserved a bit of judicial torture, for the terrible crime -unforgivable in a woman - of growing old this view stemming from the notorious Arthur Koestler a man eventually infamous for his use and abuse of various women. Anglo-American writing apparently treating as fact several rumours current at the time such as that an aunt of Katherina's was burnt at the stake for witchcraft p. All of this is very interesting I feel and are all points picked up in Johannes Kepler's written documents for the defence - that the accusations stemmed from suspicions against elderly women and widows in particular, The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother had to struggle to survive, that social tensions gave rise to accusations and rumours that couldn't be proven, that gathering herbs and offering herbal 'cures' was not evidence of witchcraft but common practise and in any case The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother was unproven if such preparations had any negative effects. Kepler himself feared that he may have given rise to the accusation of witchcraft against his own mother because of a short story he had written that circulated in manuscript around the year called a dream about a witch and her son in Iceland, the son eventually travels to Denmark and studies Astronomy. After his mother's trial Kepler returned to the story and prepared it for publication by adding an immense number's of footnotes detailing which other books he got the ideas from as though to underline that in no way that it could be autobiographical. Rublack also discusses how Kepler evaluated his relationship with his mother as a result of the trial, and how he dealt with the similarities and differences between them and how this fed into his attitudes towards women generally and specifically his wives view spoiler [ he had two, but successively, not concurrently hide spoiler ]. Rublack's general idea is that Kepler drew upon his experience in presenting and analysing data to draw up the documents for the defence of his mother - however, without wishing to spoil the story, I can say that it seems that describing the orbit of Mars and supporting the views of Copernicus was more straight forward than defending his own mother from an accusation of witchcraft. View all 11 comments. Die Autorin konzentriert sich aber nicht nur auf den Prozess selbst, sondern schildert auch das Leben der Keplers zu dieser Zeit. Dadurch bleibt das Buch auch ambivalent und behauptet nicht, die "richtige" Sichtweise darzustellen, was zweifellos ein Gewinn ist. Jan 03, Mark Bahnisch rated it it was amazing. One of the best history books I have read in some considerable time. While other authors and novelists have told the tale of Johannes Kepler's fight to save his mother, Katharina, from conviction as a witch, only Cambridge historian Rublack contextualises this episode well. In a tour de force of history from below, Rublack weaves together archival and court records with a rich understanding of contemporary worldviews and social practices. The result is an enlightening and enjoyable read. Rublack One of the best history books I have read in some considerable time. Rublack has much to teach but is never didactic. Jan 02, Richard Spiegel rated it it was amazing. Fine historical research presented in a way that humanizes a fascinating period; with insights into the interplay between science and superstition. Aug 14, Ryan rated it liked it. I often wondered while reading Ulinka Rublack's The Astronomer and the Witch why someone would accuse an old woman of witchcraft. Something odd happens—a man has an odd feeling in his legs after an old woman walks past. Because our minds see patterns in everything and struggle to admit ignorance, the man suspects that he might be a victim of witchcraft, so he bathes in his own urine to protect against sorcery. But if his neighbor's pig die I often wondered while reading Ulinka Rublack's The Astronomer and the Witch why someone would accuse an old woman of witchcraft. The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother if his neighbor's pig dies unexpectedly within a day or two, the conclusion that these are illusions or coincidences become harder to accept. The trial is not hysterical like Arthur Miller's depiction of the Salem witch trials in The Crucible. Katharina's trial lasts for six years, and she is imprisoned for much of that time. By the trial's end, the question seems to be whether or not to torture a septuagenarian lady to obtain a confession. Rublack depicts Katharina The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother a pretty sharp woman, though she has lost most of her teeth. But I couldn't help wondering what might be done at The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother time to a senile widow, especially given how much we today struggle to empathize with the elderly. Rublack works diligently to show the complexity of both Katharina and her more famous son, but it was also clear to me that their lives and their story are a wedge that allows her to explore the Reformation in early 17th century German, the rule of law, astronomy, patronage, marriage, property rights, inheritance, and more. I often enjoy reading history because it inspires curiosity in me to read more about the past. Although Rublack does show that the past The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother stranger than we realize, I didn't find The Astronomer and the Witch a page turner. Notes buried below: view spoiler [ "Statistics are notoriously difficult to compile, but even the most reliable estimates remain shocking. About 73, men and women were tried for witchcraft and 40, executed in Europe between The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother Some 22, were executed within the boundaries of present-day Germany between and the end of the persecution. Seventy-five per cent of those accused in Germany were female. Inthe Jesuit Friedrich Spee, an early critic of the persecutions, wrote anonymously: 'There are thought to be more witches in Germany than elsewhere, bonfires are burning everywhere. It helped immensely to argue that: The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother breakthrough discoveries were at stake; 2 that their implications were relevant for everyone; and 3 competing ideas could conclusively be proven wrong. A good Lutheran wife was meant to be receptive, subordinate, but actively supporting companion for her spouse. Susanna embodied this idea. She also was less rigidly submissive and suffering in the marital bed and, in this, Kepler later in his work adapted a famous analogy by Virgil: 'when the womb of the earth received rain it was like the womb of a happy wife who had pleasure' and 'supported her spouse through suitable movements. Apr 27, Harriet Kelly rated it it was amazing. Oct 08, Katie rated it liked it. Fascinating subject matter and great contextualization, but the climax was disappointing. Rublack spent much of the first half of the book building up Kepler's intellectual prowess and brilliant ability to form a legal defense against his mother's accusers, but when it came to the actual trial, the promised fireworks were sorely lacking in pizzazz. Structurally, the book could have used some chronological tweaks and a more streamlined approach to the evidence, but Rublack did well recreating the Fascinating subject matter and great contextualization, but the climax was disappointing. Structurally, the book could have used some chronological tweaks and a more streamlined approach to the The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother, but Rublack did well recreating the ambiance of life in 17th-century Germany. Jun 01, Rachel rated it it was amazing. The author is a scholar who has written other books on early modern Europe and the text is thoroughly footnoted for historical accuracy. However, Ulinka Rublack is also a good storyteller. The subject matter is presented in narrative prose with compelling descriptions of places, people, events, and historical context. Her writing reminds me of one of my favorite authors, William Manchester, and his equally compelling book about early modern The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother, A World Lit Only by Fire. The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Kepler's Fight for his Mother by Ulinka Rublack

As a global organization, we, like many others, recognize the significant threat posed by the coronavirus. During this time, we have made some of our learning resources freely accessible. Our distribution centers are open and orders can be placed online. Do be advised that shipments may be delayed due to extra safety precautions implemented at our The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother and delays with local shipping carriers. Johannes Kepler was one of the most admired astronomers who ever lived and a key figure in the scientific revolution. A defender of Copernicus' s sun-centered universe, he famously discovered that planets move in ellipses, and defined the three laws of planetary motion. Perhaps less well known is that inwhen Kepler was at the height of his career, his widowed mother Katharina was accused of witchcraft. The proceedings led to a criminal trial that lasted six years, with Kepler conducting his mother's defense. In The Astronomer and the WitchUlinka Rublack pieces together the tale of this extraordinary episode in Kepler's life, one which takes us to the heart of his changing world. First and foremost an intense family drama, the story brings to life the world of a small Lutheran community in the centre of Europe at a time of deep religious and political turmoil--a century after the Reformation, and on the threshold of the Thirty Years' War. Kepler's defense of his mother also offers us a fascinating glimpse into the great astronomer's world view, on the cusp between Reformation and scientific revolution. While advancing rational explanations for the phenomena which his mother's accusers attributed to witchcraft, Kepler nevertheless did not call into question the existence of magic and witches. On the contrary, he clearly believed in them. And, as the story unfolds, it appears that there were moments when even Katharina's children wondered whether their mother really did have nothing to hide Timeline of Johannes Kepler's LIfe 1. Introduction, 2 2. A Lutheran Court 3. The Year of the Witches 4. Kepler's Strategies 5. A Family Responds 6. Movements of the Soul 7. The The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother Continues 8. Other Witches 9. Katherina's Imprisonment Kepler's Return The Defence The Trial Ends Ulinka Rublack is Professor at the University of Cambridge and has published widely on early modern European history as well as approaches to history. Bainton Prize. It is a breath-taking account of a brave family who boldly fought for justice. A wide audience of readers will affirm the simple principle that history at its best is profoundly personal. Even if you know what happened, it's a compelling book. She sketches the vivid details that make the time, The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother and characters come to life The Tale of the Witch and the Mathematician--unmissable. Johannes Kepler, the astronomer who famously discovered that planets move in ellipses, presents an exceptional case we can reconstruct. Kepler got his assistant to paint an image of himself for a friend. This was just before Kepler stored up all his belongings to move his family back from Austria to Germany. His aged mother had been accused of witchcraft. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Academic Skip to main content. Search Start Search. Choose your country or region Close. Dear Customer, As a global organization, we, like many others, recognize the significant threat posed by the coronavirus. Please contact our Customer Service Team if you have any questions. The Astronomer and the Witch Johannes Kepler's Fight for his Mother Ulinka Rublack The bizarre but revealing tale of the astronomer Johannes Kepler's long struggle to protect his mother from execution as a witch An intense family drama that takes us to the heart of Kepler's changing world Brings to life a small Lutheran community in the centre of Europe at the height of the witch-craze Offers a fascinating glimpse into Kepler's world view, on the cusp between Reformation and scientific revolution. Also of Interest. The Ring of Truth Wendy Doniger. Agricultural Enlightenment Peter M. Dressing Up Ulinka Rublack. Rethinking the Scottish The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Keplers Fight for His Mother Laura A. God in the Enlightenment William J. Bulman and Robert G. Plato and Pythagoreanism Phillip Sidney Horky. History of Universities Mordechai Feingold. Carlisle, Jessica T. Feezell, Kristy E.