Copernicus' private life

Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473 in Toruń and he died on May 21, 1543 in Frombork. He belonged to the rich merchant family. He was the son of Mikołaj and Barbara. His father's family came from Cracow. Copernicus had three older siblings: brother Andrew, sister Barbara and sister Catherine. The brothers studied together in Cracow and in Italy. One sister married to a merchant and the other one became a nun.

Copernicus' House in Toruń. The great astronomer was born here.

The Copernicus family probably came from the Silesian village called Koperniki, near Nysa. Nicolaus Senior, astronomer's father, was a merchant who trades in copper with Gdańsk. During the Thirteen Years' War, in August 1454, he participated in financial negotiations between Cardinal Zbigniew Oleśnicki and Prussian towns. Around 1458 he moved to Toruń and got married with Barbara Watzenrode. She came from a wealthy patrician family from Toruń. Her brother, Lucas Watzenrode the Younger became a Warmian bishop. When Copernicus' father died he supported his nephews financially and became their patron.

Lucas Watzenrode the Younger- Copernicus' mathernal uncle

And what about own family of Nicolaus Copernicus?

Nicolaus Copernicus didn’t have a wife. There are rumors, that he had a closer relationship with Anna Schilling, who was his housekeeper. However, she was neither his wife nor she gave him children. Copernicus also did not prolong the family.

Copernicus and his housekeeper (beloved?) Anna Schilling

What nationality is Nicolaus Copernicus?

This is a dispute between Polish and German scientists. Some people argue about his German roots, others prove Polish. Scientists have been studying the origin of the great astronomer for years. The most fitting opinion seems to be that he was neither German nor Polish, and the subjects of the Polish king - then there was no concept of nationality, and great emphasis was placed on the monarch's serfdom and place of origin.

Nicolas Copernicus died at age 70 on 24 May 1543. Since 1542 he was seized with apoplexy and paralysis, and he According to the legend he was presented with the final printed pages of his Dē revolutionibus orbium coelestium on the same day that he died. He is said to have awoken from a stroke-induced coma, looked at his book, and then died peacefully.

Copernicus' death by Aleksander Lesser

Copernicus was buried in Frombork Cathedral. For over two centuries, archaeologists searched the cathedral in vain for Copernicus' remains. Finally, in August 2005, after scanning beneath the cathedral floor, the archeologists discovered what they believed to be Copernicus's remains. The DNA from the bones found in the grave matched hair samples taken from a book owned by Copernicus which was kept at the library of the University of Uppsala in Sweden.

 Copernicus' book in Uppsala University. It contained some Copernicus' hair that were DNA analyzed.

On 22 May 2010 Copernicus was given a second funeral. Copernicus's remains were reburied in the same spot in Frombork Cathedral where part of his skull and other bones had been found. A black granite tombstone now identifies him as the founder of the heliocentric theory and also a church canon. 

Copernicus' 2010 gravestone in Frombork Cathedral

Author: Karolina Kukla, kl 4R

Supervisor: Emilia Woźniak