Kepler's witch
Subtitle: an astronomer's discovery of cosmic order amid religious war, political intrigue, and the heresy trial of his mother
By: James A. Connor
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco
Published: 2004
Place of publication: San Francisco
Language: eng
Number of pages: 402
ISBN-13: 9780060522551
Subjects: Trials (Witchcraft); Astronomers; Trials, litigation; Sterrenkundigen; Biography; History
Description: This largely untold story of the "Protestant Galileo," Johannes Kepler, vividly brings to life the tidal forces of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, revealing Kepler's neglected role as a hero of conscience. The doorway into Kepler's life and times begins with the sensational witchcraft trial of his elderly mother, Katharina, an eccentric woman who, like Kepler, was too smart for the world she lived in. The story is filled with crooked judges, sadistic bailiffs, and nasty neighbors bent on the destruction of this single, half-mad old woman. In the seventeenth century, witches were the terrorists of their day, and thousands--mostly women--had gone to the stake by the time of Katharina Kepler's trial. Thus Kepler was concerned with more than scientific discoveries and achievement--he fought for religious peace and reconciliation, even when it nearly cost him his life.--From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 381-384) and index.
Table of contents: title: With unspeakable sadness; title: Appeired a terrible comet; title: Born with a destiny; title: Taken by a forceful passion; title: In many respects so honorable; title: Married under pernicious skies; title: An archimedean calculation of motion; title: When in heaven the flock of secret movers; title: Living creatures on the stars; title: Who with tender fragrance; title: To quiet the gossip; title: If one practices the fiend's trade; title: With present maladies of body and soul; title: To examine the secrets of nature; title: My duty under danger.