Isaac Vossius facts for kids
Isaak Vossius, also known as Isaac Voss, was an important Dutch scholar. He was born in Leiden in 1618 and passed away in Windsor, Berkshire on February 21, 1689. Isaak Vossius was known for his work in philology, which is the study of language in historical texts. He was also a famous collector of old manuscripts, which are handwritten documents.
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A Scholar's Life and Travels
Isaak Vossius grew up in a very academic home. His father, Gerhard Johann Vossius, was a well-known humanist scholar. From a young age, Isaak learned Greek, ancient geography, and even Arabic. This early learning helped him become a great scholar.
In 1641, Isaak went on a big trip across Europe. He visited England, France, and Italy, including the city of Florence. During this journey, he met many famous scholars of his time, like James Ussher and Hugo Grotius. This was also when he started his lifelong hobby of collecting valuable manuscripts and books. He returned home to Amsterdam in 1644 to become the city's librarian.
Working for Queen Christina
In 1648, Isaak Vossius moved to Sweden. He was invited by Queen Christina to be her court librarian. This meant he was in charge of the queen's personal library. He brought his assistant, Cornelius Tollius, with him. Isaak helped make the queen's library even better. He bought many important books and manuscripts. The library had already grown with books taken from Prague during a war.
After his father died in 1650, Isaak briefly went back to Amsterdam. He made sure his father's large library was sent to Stockholm. In 1654, Isaak decided to leave Sweden. When Queen Christina gave up her throne and became a Catholic, he followed her to Brussels. There, she paid him what she owed him in books. One of these special books was the Codex Argenteus, a very old and famous manuscript.
Later Years in England
Isaak Vossius moved to England in 1670. He received a degree in civil law from Oxford University. In 1664, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society in London. This is a very respected group of scientists. From 1673 until 1688, he worked as a canon at Windsor. This was an important position at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Later in his life, Isaak became very interested in mathematics and natural history. He studied how things work in nature.
The Vossius Library Collection
After Isaak Vossius passed away, his family sold his amazing collection of books and manuscripts. The University of Leiden bought them. Even today, these 729 special manuscripts are known as the Codices Vossiani. They are organized by special codes that show they were part of his collection:
- VLF, VLQ, VLO – These are Latin manuscripts in different sizes.
- VGF, VGQ, VGO – These are Greek manuscripts in different sizes.
- VMI – These are mixed manuscripts, with both Latin and Greek.
- VGG F, VGG Q – These are manuscripts in Germanic and Romance languages.
- VCF, VCQ, VCO – These are manuscripts about medicine, pharmacy, and alchemy.
Published Works
Isaak Vossius wrote several important books. Some of his famous works include:
- De septuaginta interpretibus (published in 1661)
- De poematum cantu et viribus rhythmi (published in 1673)
- Variarum observationum liber (published in 1685)
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