Maria Cunitz
Maria Cunitz (* May 29, 1610 in Wohlau; † August 22, 1664 in Pitschen ) was one of the greatest astronomers of the early modern period in Europe.
Year of birth
Already in the first major German publication to Mary Cunitz was speculated in 1798 about her year of birth. Neither an entry in a parish register were a occasional poem to her baptism and still be proven until now. Also missing a printed funeral sermon, from which one could see this information. Dr. Paul Knötel was probably the first who in 1604 brought the number of years into the game. Many other German authors ( Arndt, Güntherodt ) followed later this specification. Da Maria Cunitz referred in her book itself as the oldest daughter and her parents were married in 1603, this annual statement was understandable. Above all, however, English-language publications named in 1610 as the birth year - without this but ultimately being able to prove. A aufgefundener by Ingrid Guentherodt anthology of poems congratulations to the first wedding of Mary Cunitz in conjunction with a letter from Elias a Leonibus to Johannes Hevelius from 1651 then provided evidence that she was actually born in 1610.
Life
Maria Cunitz (also Kunitz or Latinized Cunitia ) was born 1610. Her parents were originally from a family of scholars and Dr. phil. Heinrich Cunitz, who worked in the small town Wohlau as a physician, and Mary Scholtz. She was the daughter of the Duke of Legnica - Brieger Council Anton Scholtz on Raischmannsdorf. As a little girl, Maria kept " completely away from the puppet show " and urged the parents to be allowed to attend classes rather the older brother. So she could read perfectly and was suitable in this way also basic knowledge of Latin grammar at the end of the fifth year of life. A further language teaching no longer allowed her father then, however. Rather, Mary was now trained in domestic handicrafts. So they could improve their knowledge of the Latin language only through their own initiative. At age eleven, she received music lessons and taught himself how to deal with notes in. A year later, she began to make sketches spring. At 13 she began to study unaided French.
1615 was spoiled by her family Wohlau to Schweidnitz / Silesia. There, too, her father worked as a doctor again. At age 13, Maria was married on September 26, 1623 with the coming of a Bunzlauer Council Gender lawyers David of Gerstmann. This was the thirst for knowledge of his very young wife against seemingly benevolent, so Mary could improve their French, dealt with Greek, learned independently the lute and began additionally to be interested in astrology. After a few years Gerstmann died, and she returned to her parents' house.
A little later she met the doctor, mathematician and astronomer Elias of lions know that from now on her teacher. Beginning in 1629 Schweidnitz was occupied by six companies of infantry of the then dreaded Lichtenstein regiment to move, not least through the use of violence throughout the Protestant population for the conversion. Therefore, the Cunitz family left the city. After her father died in Legnica on August 8, 1629 she married by lions. Then the couple moved to the small town Pitschen in the former Protestant Duchy Brieg.
To escape the turmoil of the Thirty Years' War, they fled further into neighboring Poland. There in Łubnice close to the border with Silesia, on an estate of Cistercian nuns of the monastery Ołobok, then both had enough rest to deal with a very large project. Maria Cunitz had noticed in their studies that the calculation tables of the astronomer Johannes Kepler were not always convenient to use. She found several new methods to predict the orbits of the planets more easily. Her work has continued in Pitschen where worked as a physician Elias of lions. In 1650 she completed her work Urania Propitia. At over 500 pages with bilingual Latin and German introduction and a second band with astronomical calculation sheets, she documented her many years of research. The publication of their results was not without danger for Maria Cunitz. Since the heliocentric world view at that time was still very controversial, they had to fear the persecution of witches as a woman.
Her husband passed away on April 27, 1661 and August 22, 1664th
In his book Silesia high and well- scholar woman room addition distinguished poetesses, So made bekandt by beautiful and like poetry bey the curieusen World 1727 Johann Caspar Eberti writes about Mary: " Cunicia ( Maria) or Cunitzin, the famous Mr. Henrici Cunitii daughter, [ ... ]. A learned woman who shines forth as it were as a queen among the Silesian woman room; spoke 7 languages / German / Italian / French / Polish / Latin / Greek and Hebrew, was experienced in the music well and was able to manufacture a nice Gemählde. Dabey she was very devoted to astrology [ ... ]; they had in the Astronomical Speculationibus her greatest pleasure [ ... ] " "
A crater on the planet Venus is named Maria Cunitia.
Work
- Urania Propitia SIVE Tabulae astronomicae Mire faciles, vim hypothesium physicarum à Kepplero proditarum complexae; facillimo calculandi compendio, sine ulla Logarithmorum mentione, phaenomenis satisfacientes. Quarum usum pro tempore presents, exacto, & futuro, ( accedente insuper facillimá Superiorum SATURN & JOVIS ad exactiorem & coelo satis consonam rationem, reductione ) duplici idiomate, Latino & vernaculo succincte praescriptum cum Artis Cultoribus communicat MARIA CUNITIA. That is: Newe and Langgewünschete / slight Astronomical Tabelln / by which mediation auff a particularly nimble Arth / all planetary motion / to the length / width / and other accidents / auff all past / gegenwertige / and künfftige Wedding material points is fürgestellet. The art lovers German nation to gutt / herfürgegeben. Sub singularibus Privilegiis perpetuis, sumptibus Autoris, BICINI Silesiorum, Excudebat Typographus Olsnensis JOHANN. SEYFFERTUS, ANNO M.DCL.
- To read online in the digital library at Breslau.