Walcher of Malvern facts for kids
Walcher of Malvern (who passed away in 1135) was a very smart person from a long time ago. He was the second leader, called a Prior, of the Great Malvern Priory in England. He was also well-known for studying the stars, planets, and numbers. He was an astronomer, an astrologer, and a mathematician. People say he was an important person who helped change how people in Europe understood space, especially by using new ideas from Arabic scholars.
A Life of Learning
Walcher came from a place called Lotharingia, which is now parts of France, Germany, and Belgium. This area was learning many new scientific ideas that were coming from Spain. He arrived in England around the year 1091.
Studying Eclipses
Walcher used a special tool called an astrolabe. This tool helped him measure the exact time of several sun and moon eclipses. He was very accurate, usually within about fifteen minutes! He used these measurements to create special tables. These tables predicted when new moons would happen from 1036 all the way to 1111. These predictions were important for something called "medical astrology," which was an old belief that the moon's phases could affect people's health. Later on, Walcher discovered that his own tables had some errors. This showed how challenging it was to predict things about space with the tools available back then.
The Book De Dracone
Around 1116, Walcher wrote an important book called De Dracone. In this book, he used knowledge about Arabic astronomy that his teacher, Petrus Alfonsi, had brought from Spain. De Dracone talked about how the lunar nodes move. These nodes are special points in the moon's path that are very important for figuring out when sun and moon eclipses will happen. In his book, Walcher wrote down angles using degrees, minutes, and seconds. However, he used old Roman numerals for these numbers instead of the Arabic numbers we use today.
Walcher as Prior
Walcher was the head of the Malvern Priory from 1120 until he passed away in 1135. As the leader of the Priory, he was a very important and influential person in the area of Worcestershire.
His gravestone, which is in St Anne's Chapel at the Priory Church, tells us about his amazing abilities. It says: "In this chest lies Doctor Walcher, a worthy philosopher, a good astronomer, a Lotharingian. He was a kind and humble man, a monk, and the prior of his community. He was also skilled in geometry and calculations. The people mourn, and the clergy grieve everywhere. The first day of October brought death to this elderly man. May every believer pray that he may live in heaven. 1135."
