German astronomer and mathematician (1538–1612)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Clavius</span>

Christopher Clavius

<p><b>Christopher Clavius</b>, SJ (25 March 1538 <span>–</span> 6 February 1612<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-enc_1-0"><a href="#cite_note-enc-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span>) was a <a href="/en/Society_of_Jesus" title="Society of Jesus" class="mw-redirect wl">Jesuit</a> German <a href="/en/Mathematician" title="Mathematician" class="wl">mathematician</a>, head of mathematicians at the <a href="/en/Collegio_Romano" title="Collegio Romano" class="mw-redirect wl">Collegio Romano</a>, and <a href="/en/Astronomer" title="Astronomer" class="wl">astronomer</a> who was a member of the Vatican commission that accepted the proposed calendar invented by <a href="/en/Aloysius_Lilius" title="Aloysius Lilius" class="wl">Aloysius Lilius</a>, that is known as the <a href="/en/Gregorian_calendar" title="Gregorian calendar" class="wl">Gregorian calendar</a>. Clavius would later write defences and an explanation of the reformed calendar, including an emphatic acknowledgement of Lilius' work. In his last years he was probably the most respected astronomer in <a href="/en/Europe" title="Europe" class="wl">Europe</a> and his textbooks were used for astronomical education for over fifty years in and even out of Europe.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[2]</span></a></span></p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">German astronomer and mathematician (1538–1612)</div>
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<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: The Reverend Christopher Clavius SJ, Born, Di...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox biography vcard mobile-collapse-element"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above" style="font-size:125%;"><div class="honorific-prefix" style="font-size: 77%; font-weight: normal; display:inline;">The Reverend</div><br><div class="fn" style="display:inline">Christopher Clavius</div><br><div class="honorific-suffix" style="font-size: 77%; font-weight: normal; display:inline;"><a href="/en/Jesuits" title="Jesuits" class="wl">SJ</a></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span class="mw-default-size"><a href="/en/File:Christopher_Clavius.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Christopher_Clavius.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Christopher_Clavius.jpg/220px-Christopher_Clavius.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="972" data-file-height="1406" data-file-type="bitmap" height="318" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Christopher_Clavius.jpg/330px-Christopher_Clavius.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Christopher_Clavius.jpg/440px-Christopher_Clavius.jpg 2x" alt="Christopher_Clavius.jpg"></a></span><div class="infobox-caption">Christopher Clavius.</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Born</th><td class="infobox-data"><span style="display:none">(<span class="bday">1538-03-25</span>)</span>25 March 1538<br><div style="display:inline" class="birthplace"><a href="/en/Bamberg" title="Bamberg" class="wl">Bamberg</a>, <a href="/en/Bavaria" title="Bavaria" class="wl">Bavaria</a>, <a href="/en/Holy_Roman_Empire" title="Holy Roman Empire" class="wl">Holy Roman Empire</a></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Died</th><td class="infobox-data">6 February 1612<span style="display:none">(1612-02-06)</span> (aged<span>&nbsp;</span>73)<br><div style="display:inline" class="deathplace"><a href="/en/Rome" title="Rome" class="wl">Rome</a>, <a href="/en/Papal_States" title="Papal States" class="wl">Papal States</a></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Nationality</th><td class="infobox-data category"><a href="/en/Germany" title="Germany" class="wl">German</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Alma<span>&nbsp;</span>mater</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/University_of_Coimbra" title="University of Coimbra" class="wl">University of Coimbra</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Known<span>&nbsp;</span>for</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Gregorian_calendar" title="Gregorian calendar" class="wl">Gregorian calendar</a>, <a href="/en/Consequentia_mirabilis" title="Consequentia mirabilis" class="wl">Clavius' Law</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><b>Scientific career</b></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Fields</th><td class="infobox-data category"><a href="/en/Mathematician" title="Mathematician" class="wl">Mathematician</a>, <a href="/en/Astronomer" title="Astronomer" class="wl">astronomer</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Influences</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Euclid" title="Euclid" class="wl">Euclid</a><br><a href="/en/Pedro_da_Fonseca_(philosopher)" title="Pedro da Fonseca (philosopher)" class="wl">Pedro da Fonseca</a><br><a href="/en/Pedro_Nunes" title="Pedro Nunes" class="wl">Pedro Nunes</a></td></tr><tr style="display:none"><td colspan="2">
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Christopher Clavius, SJ was a Jesuit German mathematician, head of mathematicians at the Collegio Romano, and astronomer who was a member of the Vatican commission that accepted the proposed calendar invented by Aloysius Lilius, that is known as the Gregorian calendar. Clavius would later write defences and an explanation of the reformed calendar, including an emphatic acknowledgement of Lilius' work. In his last years he was probably the most respected astronomer in Europe and his textbooks were used for astronomical education for over fifty years in and even out of Europe. 