John of Sacrobosco

Timeline

1. c. 1195–1221England (birthplace uncertain) · EnglandTradition holds that he came from the British Isles and may first have been educated at Oxford and elsewhere before going to Paris. The 1221 enrolment or entry record is one of the few datable points in his life, but the original documents are lost and the details are uncertain.
2. 1221–1230Paris · ParisHe taught mathematics and astronomy at the University of Paris, using Ptolemy's Almagest and Arabic astronomical works already translated into Latin. During this period he compiled introductory textbooks for arts students, preparing the classroom setting for the spread of De sphaera mundi.
3. c. 1230Paris · ParisAround 1230 he wrote De sphaera mundi, presenting in clear Latin the celestial spheres, climate zones, eclipses and other key points of Ptolemaic cosmology, and explicitly stating that the Earth is a sphere. The book quickly became a required reading in the arts curriculum of Western European universities.
4. c. 1230–1256Paris · ParisBesides De sphaera mundi, his Algorismus and Computus also circulated in universities. He died in Paris around 1256. After the rise of printing, De sphaera mundi was reprinted edition after edition, in use until the early 17th century.