Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli
Encyclopedia
Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli (or Marsili) (Lat.
Marsilius, 10 July 1658 – 1730), was an Italian
soldier and naturalist.
He was born in Bologna
. He was a member of an old patrician family and was educated in accordance with his rank. He supplemented his training by studying mathematics
, anatomy
, and natural history
with the best teachers and by personal observations.
After a course of scientific studies in his native city he travelled through the Ottoman Empire
collecting data on its military organization, as well as on its natural history.
On his return he entered the service of the Emperor Leopold
(1682) and fought with distinction against the Turks, by whom he was wounded and captured in an action on the river Rába
, and sold to a pasha
whom he accompanied to the battle of Vienna
. His release was purchased in 1684. He returned to the imperial army and served as a talented military engineer. Marsigli contributed to the successful siege of Buda in 1696 and in the following years in the military operations of the liberation war against the Turks. After the Treaty of Karlowitz
he was commissioned to lead the Habsburg border demarcation commission. Marsigli mapped the 850 km long Habsburg-Ottoman border in the former Kingdom of Hungary (today Croatia, Serbia, Romania). During the twenty years he spent in Hungary he collected scientific information, specimens, antiques, took measurements and observations for his work on the Danube. He was assisted by Johann Christoph Müller of Nuremberg, who prepared the manuscript for printing and commissioned the engravers in Nuremberg. The sample of the work , Prodromus, was published in 1700 and the large work was expected by 1704. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in November 1691.
During the War of the Spanish Succession
Marsigli was second in command under Count d'Arco
at the fortress of Breisach
, which surrendered in 1703. Count d'Arco was beheaded because he was found guilty of capitulating before it was necessary, while Marsigli was stripped of all honours and commissions, and his sword was broken over him. His appeals to the emperor were in vain. Public opinion, however, acquitted him later of the charge of neglect or ignorance.
After he had to leave the Habsburg army he made journeys to Switzerland
and then France, spending a considerable time at Marseilles to study the nature of the sea. He drew plans, made astronomical observations, measured the speed and size of rivers, studied the products, the mines, the birds, fishes, and fossil
s of every land he visited, and also collected specimens of every kind, instruments, models, antiquities, etc. Finally he returned to Bologna and presented his entire collection to the Senate of Bologna in 1712. There he founded his "Institute of Sciences and Arts", which was formally opened in 1715. Six professors were put in charge of the different divisions of the institute. Later he established a printing-house furnished with the best types for Latin, Greek
, Hebrew
, and Arabic
. This was put in charge of the Dominicans
, and placed under the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas.
His major work on the Danube
was published, after twenty years of delay, in 1726 in Amsterdam and the Hague. The maps of the work were published as an atlas in 1744. His treatise on the oceans was published in 1725, Marsigli is considered the founding father of modern oceanography.
In 1727 he added to his other collections East India
material which he collected in England
and Holland. A solemn procession of the institute he founded was ordered for every twenty-five years on the feast of the Annunciation
. In 1715 he was named foreign associate of the Paris Academy of Sciences; he was also a member of the Royal Society
of London, and of Montpellier
.
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Marsilius, 10 July 1658 – 1730), was an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
soldier and naturalist.
He was born in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
. He was a member of an old patrician family and was educated in accordance with his rank. He supplemented his training by studying mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
, and natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
with the best teachers and by personal observations.
After a course of scientific studies in his native city he travelled through the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
collecting data on its military organization, as well as on its natural history.
On his return he entered the service of the Emperor Leopold
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
(1682) and fought with distinction against the Turks, by whom he was wounded and captured in an action on the river Rába
Rába
The Rába is a river in southeastern Austria and western Hungary and a right tributary of the Danube. Its source is in Austria, some kilometres east of Bruck an der Mur below Heubodenhöhe Hill. It flows through the Austrian states of Styria and Burgenland, and the Hungarian counties of Vas and...
, and sold to a pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
whom he accompanied to the battle of Vienna
Battle of Vienna
The Battle of Vienna took place on 11 and 12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months...
. His release was purchased in 1684. He returned to the imperial army and served as a talented military engineer. Marsigli contributed to the successful siege of Buda in 1696 and in the following years in the military operations of the liberation war against the Turks. After the Treaty of Karlowitz
Treaty of Karlowitz
The Treaty of Karlowitz was signed on 26 January 1699 in Sremski Karlovci , concluding the Austro-Ottoman War of 1683–1697 in which the Ottoman side had been defeated at the Battle of Zenta...
he was commissioned to lead the Habsburg border demarcation commission. Marsigli mapped the 850 km long Habsburg-Ottoman border in the former Kingdom of Hungary (today Croatia, Serbia, Romania). During the twenty years he spent in Hungary he collected scientific information, specimens, antiques, took measurements and observations for his work on the Danube. He was assisted by Johann Christoph Müller of Nuremberg, who prepared the manuscript for printing and commissioned the engravers in Nuremberg. The sample of the work , Prodromus, was published in 1700 and the large work was expected by 1704. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in November 1691.
During the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
Marsigli was second in command under Count d'Arco
Johann Philipp d'Arco
Johann Philipp d'Arco, Count of Arco was a soldier in the service of Austria.He already had a distinguished 30-years long service when he was ordered by Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden in 1703 to defend Breisach to the last man against a French attack under Villars.The city was well...
at the fortress of Breisach
Breisach
Breisach is a town with approximately 16,500 inhabitants, situated along the Rhine in the Rhine Valley, in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about halfway between Freiburg and Colmar — 20 kilometres away from each — and about 60 kilometres north of Basel near the...
, which surrendered in 1703. Count d'Arco was beheaded because he was found guilty of capitulating before it was necessary, while Marsigli was stripped of all honours and commissions, and his sword was broken over him. His appeals to the emperor were in vain. Public opinion, however, acquitted him later of the charge of neglect or ignorance.
After he had to leave the Habsburg army he made journeys to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and then France, spending a considerable time at Marseilles to study the nature of the sea. He drew plans, made astronomical observations, measured the speed and size of rivers, studied the products, the mines, the birds, fishes, and fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s of every land he visited, and also collected specimens of every kind, instruments, models, antiquities, etc. Finally he returned to Bologna and presented his entire collection to the Senate of Bologna in 1712. There he founded his "Institute of Sciences and Arts", which was formally opened in 1715. Six professors were put in charge of the different divisions of the institute. Later he established a printing-house furnished with the best types for Latin, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
. This was put in charge of the Dominicans
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
, and placed under the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas.
His major work on the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
was published, after twenty years of delay, in 1726 in Amsterdam and the Hague. The maps of the work were published as an atlas in 1744. His treatise on the oceans was published in 1725, Marsigli is considered the founding father of modern oceanography.
In 1727 he added to his other collections East India
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
material which he collected in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Holland. A solemn procession of the institute he founded was ordered for every twenty-five years on the feast of the Annunciation
Annunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
. In 1715 he was named foreign associate of the Paris Academy of Sciences; he was also a member of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
of London, and of Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
.