Curriculum vitae of Tycho Brahe
Erling Poulsen  printerfriendly version
 His autobiography

Year	Date	Information
1546	december 14	Tycho is born in Knutstorp in Scania in the morning (J.L.E. Dreyer, Tycho Brahe; (1890) Ascella reprint. On p.12 Dreyer states: 'he was born between nine and ten o'clock in the morning') as the first-born son of Otte Brahe and Beate Bille. He has a twin but he is stillborn. The Brahe and Bille families are two of the most influential noble families in Denmark.
1547	------	Tycho is "kidnapped" by his uncle Jørgen from Tosterup, while Beate is giving birth to her next baby, Steen. The kidnapping is probably an agreement made between his father and uncle;, since Jørgen and his wife, Inger Oxe, could not have children.
1551	------	The present castle Knutstorp is completed; this suggests the possibility that Tycho's birthplace may have been in a small house nearby where the family lived during the construction of the manorhouse.
1553	------	Tycho starts to receive education at his home (mainly Latin). He lives as an only child with Jørgen and his wife.
1559	April 19	Tycho is sent to the University of Copenhagen to study Rhetoric and Philosophy.
1560	august 21	Around 1:00 p.m. (CET) a partial solar eclipse occurs which, depending on the weather, would have been visible in Copenhagen; whether Tycho saw it or not we do not know, for he never mentions it in his writings. To the right you see the eclipse viewed from Copenhagen.
1561	-----	Tycho purchases his first astronomy book, today it is located in the castle of Kronborg Library.
1562	february 14	Tycho goes abroad to Leipzig to study law; he is accompanied by his instructor Anders Sørensen Vedel.
1562	march 24	Tycho arrives in Leipzig.
1563	august 17	His first observation listed in his protocol is of Mars.
1563	august	Conjunction between Saturn and Jupiter; Tycho finds errors in the tables.
1564	-----	Tycho constructs his first instrument, a radie (a pair of calipers) of wood, he gets Scultetus to divide the degrees by transversals.
1565	may 17	Jørgen asks Tycho to come home, and shortly after Jørgen dies. Jørgen dies of pneumonia after having saved the king Frederic 2nd from drowning in one of the canals in Copenhagen.
1565	may 25	Tycho stops in Rostock on his way back home. At home, the only family member who encourages his scientific studies is his mother's brother, Steen Bille.
1566	april 15	Tycho, again able to continue his studies, visits Wittenberg, but because the plague has broken out in that city, he goes to Rostock instead.
1566	september 9	Sultan Soliman dies.
1566	october	Tycho is enrolled at the University of Rostock.
1566	october 28	Tycho predicts that a lunar eclipse means that Sultan Solimans will die (not so fortunate).
1566	december 10	At an engagement party Tycho gets into a conflict with another Danish nobleman, Manderup Parsberg (1546-1625), nobody knows about what. According to Laurus, they were arguing about which one was the best mathematician.
1566	december 29	Tycho loses a part of his nose in a duel with Manderup Parsberg.
1567	april 9	From Rostock Tycho observes a solar eclipse . He writes in "Astronomiae instauratae Progymnasmata" that it is the first he sees.
1567	may	Tycho remains in Denmark this summer.
1568	january 1	Tycho arrives in Rostock. He lives with Levinus Battus, a professor of medicine and a disciple of Paracelsus, who inspired Tycho's own interest in medicine and alchemy.
1568	january 14	Tycho sends a letter to Johan Ålborg, the first one known. In the letter he states that he will move to the dorm of the law students.
1568	may 14	Tycho is a promised a job as a canon of the cathedral in Roskilde by the Danish king Frederic II.
1568	october	Tycho arrives in Basel.
1569	january	Tycho arrives in Augsburg and begins the construction of his Big Quadrant. He orders the wooden sphere for his Big Celestial Globe. He works with the brothers Johannes Baptista and Paul Hainzel, mayor and alderman.
1569	april 15	Tycho begins observations in Augsburg. He begins his Alchemy (Iatrochemistry) studies.
1570	-----	Tycho meets Ramus in Augsburg.
1570	september 9	Tycho is in Wittemberg, probably on his way back home.
1571	may 9	Otte Brahe dies and Tycho moves in at Herrevad (a monastery until the Reformation), where his mother's brother Steen Bille lives.
1572	november 11	In the evening, Tycho sees a new star (Supernova) in Cassiopeia; he is not the first to notice the star. First seen by Wolfgang Schuler from Wittenberg november 6th.
1572	december 16	Tycho receives a letter about the new star, nobody knows from whom.
1573	-----	In the spring, he tells Pratentis, a professor in Copenhagen, about the new star.
1573	-----	Tycho marries Kirsten Jørgensdatter; because the law does not allow marriages between nobility and commoners, they are married outside the church. They probably get married because Kirsten is pregnant.
1573	-----	Tycho publishes his book "De nova stella", which makes him famous all over Europe.
1573	october 12	Tycho's daughter Kirstine is born, she dies on september 24. - 1576, and is buried in The Church of Mary, Helsingborg.
1573	december 8	Tycho observes a lunar eclipse together with his 17-year-old sister Sofie. From the observation he finds the perigee of the Sun .
1574	-----	His daughter Magdalene is born in Copenhagen, she dies after the year 1600.
1574	september 8	Tycho starts giving lectures at the University of Copenhagen.
1575	-----	Tycho visits Count Wilhelm of Hessen in the late spring. The Count was one of the foremost astronomers of Europe. Then Tycho visits Basel where he plans to settle down.
1575	-----	Tycho goes to Venice; he tries to send astronomers to Egypt.
1575	-----	Tycho visits the son of Reinhold in Saalfeld on his way home and examines the manuscripts in Reinhold's possession.
1575	-----	Tycho helps Anders Sørensen Vedel with the publication of "The Chronicle of Denmark" by Saxo.
1576	february 10	Tycho receives an annal salary of 500 rdl. from Frederic II.
1576	february 11	Tycho is ordered to meet the king and is offered the island of Ven.
1576	february 14	Tycho sends a letter to Pratensis in which he complains about his life in Denmark; he feels uncomfortable with his noble "friends".
1576	february 22	Tycho visits Ven for the first time.
1576	may	Tycho gets a contribution of 400 rdl. from the crown to build a house on Ven.
1576	june 1	Tycho's friend, Pratentis, dies suddenly in Copenhagen when his lungs start hemorrhaging during a lecture.
1576	august 8	The foundation stone of Uraniborg, his castle on Ven, is laid..
1576	december 14	First light; Tycho conducts his first observations on Ven (on his birthday).
1577	-----	The Big Quadrant in Augsburg is used for the last time.
1577	-----	Tycho is offered the vice-chancellorship of the University of Copenhagen, but he declines.
1577	january 2	His son Klaus is born, he dies on january 8. Tycho never sees him alive.
1577	april 2	Tycho observes a total lunar eclipse from Ven.
1577	april 12	Christian IV, the son of Frederic II, is born.
1577	july 1	Tycho casts Christian IV's horoscope.
1577	august 28	Tycho receives the endowment of Kullen, where he has to maintain a lighthouse.
1577	september 27	Tycho observes a total lunar eclipse from Ven.
1577	november 13	The big comet of that year is seen from one of the fish ponds on Ven. The comet is seen for the last time on january 26, 1578.
1578	february 13	According to a manuscript found in a copy of Copernicus' "De revolutionibus ..." (now in the Vatican Library), it appears that from february 13 to february 17 Paul Wittich develops his own theory of the universe (to day called Tycho's system); he must have told Tycho about it in 1580 when he visited Hveen. According to a remark in "De mundi aetherei ..." Tycho was confident of this system in 1583.O. Gingerich & R. Westman, "The Wittich Connection: Conflict and Priority in Late Sixteenth-Century Cosmology", Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 78 part 7, 1988 See The diopters of Tycho
1578	-----	At the beginning of this year his assistant Femløse arrives on Ven, he assists Tycho until 1590.
1578	-----	Tycho makes a map of Ven, using triangulation as one of the first to do so.
1578	april 10	Frederic II orders the farmers on Ven to help Tycho with his constructions on the island.
1578	august 4	His daughter Sofie is born, she dies after the year 1640.
1578	september 16	Tycho observes a total lunar eclipse from Ven.
1579	february 25	Tycho observes a partial solar eclipse from Ven.
1579	june 10	Tycho endows with the Epiphany Chapel in Roskilde.
1580	-----	The observatory of the last great Arabic astronomer Taqf ad-Din Mehmed (Takyüddin, turkish) is destroyed in Istanbul by fundamentalists; after he is accused of causing the plague. More.
1580	january 31	Tycho observes a total lunar eclipse from Ven.
1580	august 20	Frederic II orders his vassal in Landskrona to go to Ven in order to investigate the complaints from the peasants about too much work.
1580	october 10	Tycho observes a comet and follows it until november 25. and in the morning of december 13.
1581	-----	Tycho begins regular moon observations, and from these his improved theory about the moon follows.
1581	january	The king makes new rules to solve the problems between Tycho and the peasants of Ven.
1581	january 19	Tycho observes a total lunar eclipse from Ven.
1581	july 16	Tycho observes a total lunar eclipse from Ven.
1581	august 28	His son Tyge is born. He dies september 2, 1627, he was married to a Polish noblewoman.
1581	october	Uraniborg is finished and Tycho's family moves in.
1582	-----	Frederic II promulgates a new law for the church; from now on weddings are a matter of the church.
1582	february 1	Johannes Stephanus arrives on Ven for the first time.
1582	may	Tycho observes a comet.
1582	october 1	From this day, his scientists begin keeping a meteorological diary for Ven, until april 22, 1597.
1583	-----	Tycho's son Jørgen is born at Knutstorp, he dies in 1640.
1584	-----	Tycho begins the construction of his observatory, Stjerneborg.
1584	-----	His assistant Elias Olsen Morsing is sent to Frauenburg to measure the polar-latitude of Copernicus' observatory.
1584	april 30	Tycho observes a partial solar eclipse from Ven.
1584	june	During the summer Tycho builds his own printing press.
1584	july 15	Tycho writes in a letter to Johannes Major that he prefers the Gregorian calendar. (At that time, Protestants were resisting its introduction.)
1584	november 7	Tycho observes a total lunar eclipse from Ven.
1585	-----	In a letter from Frederic II, the king tells Tycho about plans to make a map of all of Denmark by using triangulation. This was not done until after 1760.
1586	march	Femløse delivers a letter to Count Wilhelm of Hessen concerning the comet from the fall of 1585.
1586	april	Count Wilhelm brags in a letter about his watch, ± 1 min/day.
1586	june 27	The queen Sofia visits Ven.
1586	august 23	The queen visits Ven again, this time with many followers.
1587	-----	"The Book of the Comet" is finished.
1588	april 4	Frederic II dies.
1588	sep 14	Writes in a letter to Casper Peucer that he has John Dee as guest, see Opera Omnia VII p. 141.
1589	-----	Kristen Sørensen Langberg (Longomontanus) arrives on Ven as an assistant.
1589	march	Tycho is allowed to use a ring of stones (The Watermill Tower, one of the towers in the town wall) in Copenhagen as an Observatory.
1589	november 1	In a letter to Hagecius, Tycho says that comets do not necessarily have to move in circles (you find the same in "The Book of the Comet").
1589	november 24.	In a letter to Rothmann he argues in favour of his system, he says that if Copernicus are right then some stars must be hundred times bigger than the Sun, and that do not make sense. (Tychonis Brahe Dani Opera Omnia VI, page 197, Copenhagen 1913-1929)
1590	-----	Tycho begins the construction of his papermill.
1590	february	Tycho observes a low intensity comet from Ven.
1590	march 20	Jacob VI of Scotland visits Ven from 8 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon.
1590	july 21	Tycho observes a partial solar eclipse from Ven.
1590	august 1	The mathematician Christoffer Rohtmann visits Ven, he leaves on september 1.
1590	december 30	Tycho observes a total lunar eclipse from Ven.
1591	-----	The material gathered in the meteorological diary up to now is published.
1591	-----	Vedel publishes his Danish folksongs.
1591	april	In a letter to the Count of Hessen, Tycho complains about his conditions in Denmark.
1591	june 9	The Mars opposition is observed from Ven.
1591	july 10	Tycho observes a partial solar eclipse from Ven.
1592	july 3	Christian IV is visiting Ven when Tycho suggests giving lessons in navigation, and the king receives a mechanical planetarium.
1592	november 17	In a letter from the king, Tycho is told to behave better towards inferiors.
1593	august 1	Tycho is ordered to maintain the Epiphany Chapel in Roskilde, since he has not done that.
1594	september 4	Tycho receives another order to maintain the Chapel, but it does not help.
1594	october 20	Tycho observes a total lunar eclipse from Ven.
1595	february 17	Tengnagel arrives on Ven.
1595	april 14	Tycho observes a total lunar eclipse from Ven.
1595	september 23	Tycho observes a partial solar eclipse from Ven.
1595	october 8	Tycho observes a total lunar eclipse from Ven.
1595	-----	In the winter of 1595-96, Blaeu visits Ven, he is making maps.
1596	-----	The book with the letters to/from the Count of Hessen is published on Uraniborg.
1596	july	A comet is observed from Ven.
1596	august 29	Christian IV is crowned in Copenhagen, Tycho is a guest.
1597	february 22	In a letter to Rantzau, Tycho agrees to the Gregorian calender. He proposes a cipher for exchanging alchemic knowledge. ("Tychonis Brahe Dani opera omnia" vol. XII, p. 380. Swedish transl. Norlind, "Ur Tycho Brahes brevväxlung", Lund 1926, p.123.)
1597	march 15	Tycho's last observation from Ven.
1597	march 18	His 500 rdl. stipend is stopped.
1597	march 21	All books on Ven are now registered.
1597	march 29	Tycho leaves Ven and moves to Copenhagen (Farvergården).
1597	april 4	Christian Friis and Axel Brahe go to Ven to look at complaints, and a commission is established to investigate Tycho's leadership.
1597	april 22	The vicar on Ven is dismissed, he had followed the orders of Tycho not to perform exorcism.
1597	june 1	Tycho writes a recommendation for Longomontanus who is going to study in Germany.
1597	june 2	The professor in mathematics Thomas Fincke reports that the instruments on Ven are of no use.
1597	june	Tycho is not allowed to make observasions from The Watermill Tower and is not allowed to perform chemical experiments in his house in Farvergade.
1597	june 2	Tycho leaves Copenhagen and goes to Rostock.
1597	june 10	Tycho is removed from his job at Epiphany Chapel in Roskilde.
1597	july 10	Tycho's famous letter to the king Christian IV is sent from Rostock.
1597	august 24	Chr. IV answers the letter saying that he will not let Tycho return to Denmark.
1597	september	Tycho leaves Rostock, where there is plague, he travels to Wandsbæk.
1597	october 20	Tycho starts his observations in Wandsbæk, from where he writes his famous elegy.
1597	november	Tycho receives an answer from the king, dated october 8.
1597	december 15	Kepler writes a letter to Tycho about his book, Mysterium Cosmographicum.
1597	december 31	Tycho writes his preface to the Emperor Rudolf II in his book, Mecanica.
1598	-----	Mecanica is published.
1598	10/2	Tycho observes a total lunar eclipse from Wandsbæk.
1598	april	Tycho sends a rather critical answer to the letter from Kepler.
1598	may	Tycho's star catalogue with the possitions of 1004 stars is published.
1598	-----	Tycho sends an embittered letter to Niels Krag about his treatment in Denmark.
1598	october	Tycho leaves Wandsbæk.
1598	december 4	Tycho arrives in Wittenberg where he lives at Professor Jessenius' house.
1599	january 31	During an observation of a lunar eclipse, Tycho discovers that his theory about the movement of the moon is wrong since the eclipse starts 24 minutes before his calculations. He improves his theory.
1599	march 21	Tycho sends a letter to Longomontanus, in which he reports his revised theory.
1599	june	Tycho is offered shelter in Bohemia, where he obtains residence on the castle of Benatký. The castle was recently bought by the Emperor Rudolf II.
1599	june 14	Tycho leaves Wittenberg and moves to Bohemia.
1599	july 22	Tycho observes a solar eclipse from Prague.
1599	august 20	Tycho moves in at Benatký, 40 km NE of Prague.
1599	october	Tycho receives a letter from Eske Bille in which he is told that his house in Farvergade, Copenhagen, cannot be sold.
1600	january 20	From one of his letters, it appears that the emperor has asked for some piece of astrological advice.
1600	february 3	Kepler arrives at Benatký.
1600	may 4	Tycho sends a letter to Galilei about a astronomical expedition to Egypt. No answer has been found. See Tyge Brahe og Italienerne by F. R. Friis, Museeum 1891 II, p. 270. The original is in Florenz.
1600	july 10	Tycho observes a solar eclipse from Benatký.
1600	july	Tycho leaves Benatký and moves to Prague.
1600	july	Longomontanus arrives in Prague, where he works with the moon theory. He brings the rest of Tycho's instruments with him.
1600	october	The Emperor Rudolf II shows the first signs of his mental disease (syphilis ?).
1600	november 10	All of the 28 instruments have arrived in Prague.
1601	february 25	Tycho moves to the palace of Curtius in Prague, rented by the emperor. The instruments are also moved to the palace.
1601	april	Tycho writes in a letter that all of the instruments are in the palace.
1601	july	Kepler is given the assignment to calculate the Rudolfian Tables.
1601	july 17	His daughter Elisabeth is married to Tengnagel in Prague.
1601	july 24	Tycho receives his last letter from Ulrik of Meklenburg.
1601	october 11	Tycho's last observation.
1601	october 13	During a banquet hosted by Peter Vok von Rosenberg, Tycho falls ill, probably due to poisoning or acute prostatitis.
1601	october 24	Tycho dies of ureamia (urine in the blood, seen at some poisonings with heavy metals; mercury was found in his hair taken only a couple of days before he died) between 9 and 10 in the morning.
1601	october 28	The emperor purchases all the instruments and observations from Tycho's widow Kirsten.
1601	november 4	Tycho is buried in the Teyn-church in Prague. On his tombstone is written:" Non faces nec opes, sola artis sceptra perennant." It means:"Neither power nor wealth, only Art and Science will endure.
1604	-----	Kirsten dies of dropsy and is buried next to her husband.
1671	september	The French astronomer Picard and the Danish astronomer Ole Rømer find the longitude of Ven. They stay on the island until the end of November.
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