The Reception of the Copernican Revolution Among Proven\c{c}al Humanists of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

TL;DR

This paper explores how Provençal humanists in the 16th and 17th centuries received and promoted Copernican heliocentrism, highlighting key figures and their contributions to the scientific revolution.

Contribution

It provides a historical analysis of the reception and promotion of Copernican astronomy among Provençal humanists and amateurs during the early modern period.

Findings

Montaigne recognized the revolutionary potential of heliocentrism.

Provençal humanists actively promoted Copernican astronomy after Kepler and Galileo.

Jean-Dominique Cassini advanced the field in Paris.

Abstract

We discuss the reception of Copernican astronomy by the Proven\c{c}al humanists of the XVIth-XVIIth centuries, beginning with Michel de Montaigne who was the first to recognize the potential scientific and philosophical revolution represented by heliocentrism. Then we describe how, after Kepler's Astronomia Nova of 1609 and the first telescopic observations by Galileo, it was in the south of France that the New Astronomy found its main promotors with the humanists and "amateurs \'eclair\'es", Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc and Pierre Gassendi. The professional astronomer Jean-Dominique Cassini, also from Provence, would later elevate the field to new heights in Paris.