Cristoforo Borri and the new astronomy in Portugal during the 17th century

Abstract

It has long been acknowledged by the Portuguese historiography that Cristoforo Borri played a key role in revising the cosmological debate in 17th century Portugal. Some historians, following A.A. Banha de Andrade, have characterized his action as a “scientific reform”. Nevertheless, there are no comprehensive studies on the early modern cosmology developed in Portugal. This article provides an in-depth look at Borri’s impact on the diffusion of the new astronomy in Portugal, which is achieved through the analysis of philosophical textbooks and lecture notes produced in the context of Jesuit colleges and universities during the 17th century. In this article, it is argued that Borri’s Collecta astronomica was an instrumental work for Portuguese natural philosophers who based their cosmological discussions largely upon this work, although they put forward different cosmological models and theories. This case attests the dynamism of cosmological discussion in early 17th century Portugal.