Dominicus Gundissalinus facts for kids
Dominicus Gundissalinus, also known as Domingo Gundisalvi or Gundisalvo, was an important philosopher and translator who lived a long time ago, from about 1115 to after 1190. He was active in Toledo, a city in Spain. His main job was translating important books from Arabic into Medieval Latin, which was the language of learning in Europe back then.
Gundissalinus helped bring many new ideas from Arabic thinkers to the Latin-speaking world. He translated works by famous philosophers like Avicenna, Ibn Gabirol, and al-Ghazali. He often worked with other smart people, including the Jewish philosopher Abraham Ibn Daud and Johannes Hispanus. His work was very important because it introduced new ideas, like Avicenna's ideas about how things exist or Ibn Gabirol's ideas about matter and form, which then became a big part of philosophical discussions in the 1200s.
Contents
A Life of Learning and Translation
Early Life and Education
Dominicus Gundissalinus was probably born in the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) sometime between 1115 and 1125. He received his education in Chartres, a city in France. It's thought that he learned from famous teachers there, like William of Conches and Thierry of Chartres.
Years in Cuéllar
By 1148, Gundissalinus was in Castile, a historical region of Spain. Records from Segovia show that he was an archdeacon (a church official) in Cuéllar, a small town near Segovia. He likely spent about 14 years there, but we don't know much about what he did during that time.
Moving to Toledo and the School of Translators
Around 1161 or 1162, Gundissalinus moved to Toledo. This move happened because Ibn Daud asked the archbishop of Toledo, John II, to start translating important Arabic books, especially Avicenna's Kitab al-Shifāʾ, into Latin.
In Toledo, Gundissalinus worked closely with Ibn Daud. Together, they translated Avicenna's De anima (which means "On the Soul") before 1166. Toledo became a famous center for translation, often called the Toledo School of Translators.
Working in Toledo
Gundissalinus stayed in Toledo for about twenty years. During this time, he, Abraham Ibn Daud, and Johannes Hispanus worked together to translate around twenty different Arabic books into Latin. These translations were crucial for sharing knowledge between the Arabic and Latin worlds.
While in Toledo, Gundissalinus also wrote his own philosophical books. The last time his name appears in Toledo records is in 1178, but he probably stayed there until at least 1181, as an Arabic document from that year mentions him.
Later Life and Death
The last time we have a record of Gundissalinus being alive is in 1190. He was mentioned at a meeting in Segovia. It's likely that he spent his final years in Segovia and passed away sometime after 1190. His work as a translator and philosopher left a lasting impact on European thought.
See also
