Strokes in the early 1590s partly paralysed Mercator and left him almost blind. Chapter 44: "Commercial Cartography and Map Production in the Low Countries, 1500ca. In 1569 he created the famous Mercator projection which was a world map on 18 separate sheets and named it atlas. Mercator was born in Flanders (located in modern-day Belgium) in 1512. It proved to be a vast task and he, perfectionist that he was, seemed unable to cut short his ever-expanding researches and publish: as a result it was to be another ten years before the map appeared. Gerardus Mercator revolutionized mapmaking. He was almost executed for Mercator, born in 1512, was older by 15 years. Gerardus Mercator - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia These encounters may well have provided the stimulus to put aside his problems with theology and commit himself to geography. In 1564 he completed a map of Lorraine (now lost) and another of the British Isles. (2023, April 5). The dedicatee of the world map was more surprising: Johannes Drosius, a fellow student who, as an unorthodox priest, may well have been suspected of Lutheran heresy. By 24 he was a skilled engraver, calligrapher, and scientific-instrument maker. Mercator then began to execute a series of publications intended to describe the creation of the world and its subsequent history. He spent his early years in the village of Gangelt, in the Duchy of Juliers. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. While he was there he changed his name from Kremer to Mercator which meant merchant in Latin. Melanchthon is a significant correspondent of Mercator since he was one of the founders of Lutheranism. She holds a Certificate of Advanced Study in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from California State University. The first of these was a new definitive version of Ptolemy's maps. [37] On the other hand, no papal permit was required to establish the Akademisches Gymnasium where, in 1559 Mercator was invited to teach mathematics with cosmography. The university statutes stated explicitly that to disbelieve the teaching of Aristotle was heretical and would be punished by expulsion. Despite the death of Ortelius in 1598 the Theatrum flourished: in 1602 it was in its thirteenth Latin edition as well as editions in Dutch, Italian, French, German and Spanish. He made a map of Flanders in 1540 for political purposes with the help of a survey and the triangulation process suggested by Gemma Frisius. Mercator's editions of Ptolemy and his theological writings were in print for many years after the demise of the atlas but they too eventually disappeared and it was the Mercator projection which emerged as his sole and greatest legacy. The problem was the contradiction between the authority of Aristotle and his own biblical study and scientific observations, particularly in relation to the creation and description of the world. Gemma Frisius looked after the geographical details while Van de Heyden did the engraving. [33] He was not alone; over the years to come many more would flee from the oppressive Catholicism of Brabant and Flanders to tolerant cities such as Duisburg. In 1530 Mercator began studying at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium where he studied humanities and philosophy. By the final edition the number of his maps in the atlas declined to less than 50 as updated new maps were added. His uncle Gisbert, who became his guardian after his father died in 1526, sent Gerardus to study in Netherlands in 1527 at the s-Hertogenbosch monastic school run by the Brethren of the Common Life. The famous Mercator Chart has been named after him. He was the seventh child of his parents. G L'E Turner, 'To find the mind's construction in the face' : the newly-discovered astrolabes of Mercator. Gerardus Mercator was born Geert or Gerard (de) Kremer (or Cremer), the seventh child of Hubert (de) Kremer and his wife Emerance in Rupelmonde, Flanders, a small village to the southwest of Antwerp, all of which lay in the fiefdom of Habsburg Netherlands.His parents came from Gangelt in the Holy Roman Duchy of Jlich (present-day Germany). The first element was the Chronologia,[46] a list of all significant events since the beginning of the world compiled from his literal reading of the Bible and no less than 123 other authors of genealogies and histories of every empire that had ever existed. His connection with this world of privilege was facilitated by his fellow student Antoine Perrenot, soon to be appointed Bishop of Arras, and Antoine's father, Nicholas Perrenot, the Chancellor of Charles V. Working alongside Gemma whilst they were producing the globes, Mercator would have witnessed the process of progressing geography: obtaining previous maps, comparing and collating their content, studying geographical texts and seeking new information from correspondents, merchants, pilgrims, travellers and seamen. See, From the dedication to the volume of Ptolemy Mercator published in 1578. Their stay in Rupelmonde was brief and within six months they returned to Gangelt and there Mercator spent his earliest childhood until the age of six. Mercator, originally named Kremer, was born at Rupelmonde, now in Belgium. Mercator's outline was (1) the creation of the world; (2) the description of the heavens (astronomy and astrology); (3) the description of the earth comprising modern geography, the geography of Ptolemy and the geography of the ancients; (4) genealogy and history of the states; and (5) chronology. He matriculated from the University of Louvain on August 29, 1530 with philosophy and humanities. 's-Hertogenbosch (Duke's Forest) is Bois-le-Duc in French and Herzogenbusch in German, colloquially Le Bois or Den Bosch. The sale catalogue doesn't mention any maps but it is known that the family sold the copper plates to Jodocus Hondius in 1604. The contents of the library provide an insight into Mercator's intellectual studies but the mathematics books are the only ones to have been subjected to scholarly analysis: they cover arithmetic, geometry, trigonometry, surveying, architecture, fortification, astronomy, astrology, time measurement, calendar calculation, scientific instruments, cartography and applications. Gerardus Mercator was born on March 5, 1512 in Rupelmond, County of Flanders (modern-day Belgium). He chose the word as a commemoration of the Titan Atlas, "King of Mauretania", whom he considered to be the first great geographer. As the editions progressed, Mercator's theological comments and his map commentaries disappeared from the atlas and images of King Atlas were replaced by the Titan Atlas. After establishing a cartographic workshop and engaging his own engravers, he returned to his main interest. Mercator is the Latin form of this name and means merchant. By 1592 he had lost his sight and after the second stroke in 1593 he was totally paralyzed. [28] Apart from a possible short visit to Duisburg in 1562[29] the two men did not meet but they corresponded frequently and by good fortune a number of their letters are preserved. Also he was a close friend and correspondent of Philip Melanchthon, one of the principal Lutheran reformers. In fact, as Business Insider pointed out in a series of graphics, Greenland can fit in Africa around 14 times, while South America is roughly three times the size of Europe. GERARDUS MERCATOR [latinized form of ] (1512-1594), Flemish mathematician and geographer, was born at Rupelmonde, in Flanders, on the 5th of March 1512. He was 82 years old. Throughout the 1550s Mercator also worked on genealogical research for Duke Wilhelm, wrote a Concordance of the Gospels, and compose several other works. Gerardus Mercator - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help Mercator created his maps by meshing his technical expertise making globes with mathematical insights. 18 (11thed.). The brethren were also renowned for their thoroughness and discipline, well attested by Erasmus who had attended the school forty years before Mercator.[l]. This volume has a noteworthy preface for it includes mention of Atlas as a mythical king of Mauretania. Many maps using the Mercator projection are still used in classrooms today, despite the development of newer, more accurate map projections. No map was published at the time but Mercator did provide a single drawn copy for the Duke and later he would incorporate this map into his atlas. People in both locations at the time spoke an, The evidence for Mercator's place of birth is in his letter to Wollfgang Haller (. On 5 March 2015, Google celebrated his 503rd birthday with a Google Doodle.[bb]. He corrected the problems with the loxodrome also known as the rhumb line or sperical helix line and created a new globe in 1541. He was released in September 1544 with the help of the Louvain University. Gerardus Mercator (5 March 1512 - 2 December 1594) was a Flemish cartographer. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [8][9] He was a controversial figure who, from time to time, was in conflict with the church authorities because of his humanist outlook and his break from Aristotelian views of the world: his own views of geography were based on investigation and observation. The commissions and patronage of such wealthy individuals would provide an important source of income throughout his life. Geographers and Cartographers [32] Celestial globes were a necessary adjunct to the intellectual life of rich patrons[y] and academics alike, for both astronomical and astrological studies, two subjects which were strongly entwined in the sixteenth century. All were arrested except Mercator who had left Leuven for Rupelmonde on business concerning the estate of his recently deceased uncle Gisbert. The main text of the epitaph is a summary of his life lauding him as "the foremost mathematician of his time who crafted artistic and accurate globes showing the heaven from the inside and the Earth from the outside greatly respected for his wide erudition, particularly in theology, and famous on account of his piety and respectability in life." [al], Around this time the marshall of Jlich approached Mercator and asked him to prepare a set of European regional maps which would serve for a grand tour by his patron's son, the crown prince Johannes. Above all he was pious and studious until his dying days. He brought out a 1.6 meters long and 1.3 meters wide map of Europe in 1554. He learned the craft of engraving from a local expert called Gaspar Van der Heyden and the three men worked together in the making of maps, globes and astronomical instruments for wealthy patrons, including the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. In 1538 Mercator produced a map of the world on a projection shaped like a pair of hearts. Mercator now turned to the modern maps, as author but no longer engraver: the practicalities of production of maps and globes had been passed to his sons and grandsons. This Atlasthe term still used to indicate a collection of mapswas never fully realized. His father was a cobbler, but the surname meant merchant and Gerhard turned it into Latin as Mercator after his father and mother died when he was in his teens. He is best known for a new mapping technique that bears his name, the Mercator projection. 3 ways Gerardus Mercator changed the way we look at the world G L'E Turner, The three astrolabes of Gerard Mercator. He graduated from the University of Louvain in 1532, where he studied mathematics, geography, and astronomy. He was also renowned for his scientific instruments, particularly his astrolabes and astronomical rings used to study the geometry of astronomy and astrology. After his two years away in Belgium for his masters degree, Mercator returned to Leuven with an interest in philosophy and geography. Gerardus Mercator, original name Gerard De Cremer, or Kremer?, (born March 5, 1512, Rupelmonde, Flanders [now in Belgium]died December 2, 1594, Duisburg, Duchy of Cleve [Germany]), Flemish cartographer whose most important innovation was a map, embodying what was later known as the Mercator projection, on which parallels and meridians are rende. In 1554 Mercator published the long-awaited wall map of Europe, dedicating it to his friend, now Cardinal, Antoine Perrenot. It was hoped for source of the income that was needed to support them. His father was a shoemaker. It is the only map without a dedicatee and in the text engraved on the map he pointedly denies responsibility for the map's authorship and claims that he is merely engraving and printing it for a "very good friend". Mercator left no hints to his method of construction and it was Edward Wright who first clarified the method in his book Certaine Errors (1599)the relevant error being the erroneous belief that straight lines on conventional charts corresponded to constant courses. The general first degree (for Magister) centred on the teaching of philosophy, theology and Greek under the conservative Scholasticism which gave prime place to the authority of Aristotle. Mercator was born to a shoemaker on March 5, 1512 in Rupelmonde, Flanders (the Belgian town . [10] Mercator was completely out of his depth but, with the help and friendship of Gemma, who was only four years older, he succeeded in mastering the elements of mathematics within two years and the university granted him permission to tutor private students. Of these the chronology had already been accomplished, the account of the creation and the modern maps would appear in the atlas of 1595, his edition of Ptolemy appeared in 1578 but the ancient geography and the description of the heavens never appeared. This time Gerardus played a bigger role in its creation. Gerard Kremer, (born March 5, 1512, Rupelmonde, Flandersdied Dec. 2, 1594, Duisburg, Duchy of Cleve), Flemish cartographer. Gerardus Mercator | Who2 Gerardus (de Kremer) Mercator is Notable. In 1537, Gerardus made a globe of the stars again with the help of Gemma Frisius and Van der Heyden. In 1585 he issued a collection of 51 maps covering France, the Low Countries and Germany. [22], Mercator was apprehended in Rupelmonde and imprisoned in the castle. Mercator was a highly influential pioneer in the history of cartography. Gemma and Gaspar Van der Heyden had completed a terrestrial globe in 1529 but by 1535 they were planning a new globe embodying the latest geographical discoveries. Van der Krogt, Peter (2015), 'Chapter 6: Gerhard Mercator and his Cosmography: How the 'Atlas' became an Atlas,'; in: Gerhard Holzer, et al. In 1569 he published a chronology of the world from Creation to 1568. By 1536 Mercator had proven himself as an excellent engraver, calligrapher, and instrument maker. Gerardus Mercator - MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive Statues of Gerardus Mercator can be found in several cities across the world and there are many buildings, universities, streets, ships and even an asteroid named after him. First, Leuven was besieged by the troops of the Duke of Cleves, a Lutheran sympathiser who, with French support, was set on exploiting unrest in the Low Countries to his own ends. Quick Info Born 5 March 1512 Rupelmonde, Burgundian Netherlands (now Belgium) Died 2 December 1594 Duisburg, Duchy of Cleves (now Germany) Summary Gerardus Mercator was a Flemish map-maker and geographer who is best known for the map projection which bears his name. In 1540 he also published a concise manual on italic lettering, the Literarum Latinarum quas Italicas cursoriasque vocant scribende ratio, for which he engraved the wood blocks himself. [47][48] Mercator was the first to link historical dates of solar and lunar eclipses to Julian dates calculated mathematically from his knowledge of the motions of the sun, moon and Earth. [50][48], As the Chronologia was going to press in 1569, Mercator also published what was to become his most famous map: Nova et Aucta Orbis Terrae Descriptio ad Usum Navigantium Emendate Accommodata ('A new and more complete representation of the terrestrial globe properly adapted for use in navigation').