Timeline: Nicolaus Copericus by Mackenzie & Maddy

Feb 19, 1473

Birth

Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473 in Thorn, Poland. He was the youngest of four children
in a family of wealthy merchants.

Jan 1, 1483

Father's death

Nicolaus's father died in 1483. After his death, his uncle, a catholic bishop, took care of the children. He encouraged Nicolaus's advancment in ther church and pushed forward his education using his income to help pay for additional studies.

Jan 1, 1491

Kraków Academy

After completing his education in St John's parish school, Copernicus began his studies in Kraków Academy at the age of 18.Copernicus was introduced to astronomy, medicine, arithmetic and geometry. There is no record of his having a degree.

Jan 1, 1496

University of Bologna

Nicolaus enrolled in the Law Department of the University of Bologna, under the direction of his uncle. He lived and worked with astronomy professor Domenico Maria de Novara, doing research and conducted observations of the sky

Sep 9, 1504

Bishop of Warmia

Copernicus resided at the ducal court of the Bishop of Warmia in Lidzbark and worked as a physician. He accompanied his uncle to sessions of the Royal Prussian Diet in Malbork/Marienburg, In the Bishop's castle, he wrote his initial outline of his heliocentric theory.

Sep 9, 1509

Elected as chancellor

Copernicus left the Bishop's Castle in Lidzbark and settled in Frombork. Despite the chapter's animosity to Bishop Watzenrode, he was elected its chancellor.

Sep 9, 1510

Map of Warmia and Royal Prussia

Copernicus drew a map of Warmia and Royal Prussia meant for the Royal Council in Poznań. He also held high-ranking offices like chancellor and 'visitor' to the chapter's estates

Sep 9, 1512

Drafts of Commentariolus

Copernicus published an early description of his heliocentric model of the solar system in Commentariolus. In this model, the sun was not exactly the center of the solar system.

Jan 1, 1514

Proposition to Friends

Copernicus gave a handwritten book to his friends that explaned his view of the universe. In it he proposed that the center of the universe was not the Earth.

Sep 9, 1519

Treatise on Money

Joining a dispute over a monetary reform, Copernicus drafted the first version of his treatise on money and presented it to the Prussian Diet. He left his office as administrator of the estates and returned to Frombork to become chancellor.

Jan 1, 1539

Georg Joachim Rheticus

Georg Joachim Rheticus, a mathematician fascinated by Copernicus' theories tried to persuaded him to have his manuscript of De revolutionibus published

Aug 9, 1539

Student

Copernicus took on Rheticus as a student and handed over his manuscript to him to write a popularization of the heliocentric theory

Dec 9, 1542

Publishing of De lateribus

Nicolaus Copernicus' book De lateribus et angelis triangulorum (On the Sides and Angles of Triangles) was published, and which would be later incorporated in De revolutionibus. In December, Copernicus suffered a stroke and the left side of his body was paralyzed.

May 7, 1543