Nicolaus Reimers
Who was Nicolaus Reimers?
German astronomer (1551-1600)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Nicolaus Reimers (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Nicolaus Reimers Baer (2 February 1551 – 16 October 1600), also known as Reimarus Ursus, was a German astronomer and imperial mathematician who went from a modest upbringing to serving Emperor Rudolf II. Born in Hennstedt to a family of limited means, his surname Bär (meaning bear) was often Latinized to Ursus. Despite little formal education and working as a swineherd until he was 18, Reimers had exceptional natural talents that eventually caught the eye of important patrons.
His intellectual journey began when Heinrich Rantzau recognized his abilities and hired him as a geometer from 1574 to 1584. During this time, Reimers showcased his skills by publishing a Latin Grammar in 1580 and the mathematical work Geodaesia Ranzoviana in 1583. Rantzau also arranged an important meeting with the famous astronomer Tycho Brahe, though their relationship later turned sour.
From 1585 to 1587, Reimers worked as a private tutor in Pomerania before joining the court of William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. There, he struck up an important friendship with Swiss instrument maker Jost Bürgi, another self-taught expert. Their collaboration was productive, with Reimers translating Copernicus' De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium into German for Bürgi, who didn't understand Latin. This translation, known as the Grazer Handschrift, still exists in Graz.
Reimers' career in astronomy was both innovative and controversial. In 1588, he proposed his own model of the Solar System, which differed from both the Copernican and Ptolemaic systems. His model featured planets revolving around the Sun while Earth stayed stationary, rotating only on its axis. This was an attempt to reconcile observational evidence with Aristotelian physics, which said celestial bodies couldn't have multiple natural motions. However, his career was overshadowed by a heated dispute with Tycho Brahe, who accused him of plagiarizing the Tychonic system. Though history has largely supported Reimers' claims that prosthaphaeresis was invented by Paul Wittich and Jost Bürgi rather than Brahe, the controversy hurt his reputation and created lasting hostility between him and Brahe.
Before Fame
Reimers' early life showed the strict social structure of 16th-century Europe, where birth usually decided one's place in society. Born in a modest family in Hennstedt, he spent his early years herding pigs with little access to formal education. This background made his later success remarkable, as few could rise from such beginnings to achieve intellectual recognition.
A major change occurred thanks to Heinrich Rantzau's support, giving Reimers the chance to develop his skills in mathematics and astronomy. This happened during the early years of the Scientific Revolution, when traditional astronomical models were increasingly questioned by new observations and mathematical methods. The era's focus on practical math applications, especially in surveying and navigation, created a need for skilled geometers like Reimers.
Key Achievements
- Served as imperial mathematician to Emperor Rudolf II
- Published Geodaesia Ranzoviana (1583), an important work on geometry and surveying
- Developed an alternative astronomical model in 1588 that positioned Earth as stationary but rotating
- Correctly identified Paul Wittich and Jost Bürgi as inventors of prosthaphaeresis mathematical technique
- Created the German translation of Copernicus' De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium
Did You Know?
- 01.He translated Copernicus' De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium into German for instrument maker Jost Bürgi, creating the only known German translation of the work from that period
- 02.Despite herding pigs until age 18, he later published scholarly works in Latin and served as imperial mathematician to Emperor Rudolf II
- 03.His astronomical model attempted to solve the problem of Earth having multiple motions by proposing that Earth only rotated on its axis while remaining stationary in space
- 04.Johannes Kepler inadvertently became involved in his feud with Tycho Brahe early in his career, creating diplomatic complications
- 05.The mathematical technique of prosthaphaeresis, which he correctly attributed to Paul Wittich and Jost Bürgi, was an important precursor to logarithms
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