The Persistence of Tychonism

Abstract

Tychonism, if it is considered at all in histories of the Copernican Revolution, is briefly acknowledged as an alternative cosmic scheme, but seldom mentioned as an active tradition extending into the seventeenth century. I will make a case that it lasted into the eighteenth centu- ry. In this paper I will consider astronomers, almanac makers and natural philosophers who adopted and spread Tychonism. I will summarize and supplement the ac- counts of Carolino (2023) and Kallinen (1995) who doc- ument sequences of Tychonists in Lisbon, Portugal and Turku, Finland, respectively. I will then argue that Maria Cunitz (1610-1664) declares herself a Tychonist in her celebrated book Urania Propitia (1650). The same con- siderations emphasize the importance of Christian Longomontanus’ (1562-1647) Astronomia Danica (1622) as a resource for Tychonism. I will conclude by examin- ing a few almanac makers who adopted Tychonism, some of whom used Longomontanus. I offer corrections to ear- lier accounts of Tychonism, especially Schofield (1984). In conclusion I will suggest that the historical longevity of Tychonism has been considerably underestimated and al- so that Tychonists were not generally restrained from public endorsement of heliocentrism by religious pres- sure. On the contrary, I suggest that the continued ac- ceptance of Tychonism was conditioned by its congru- ence with scientists’ religious beliefs.