TheAstronomerandtheWitch Praise for The Astronomer and the Witch R ‘UlinkaRublackhaswrittenanenthralling,many-sidedbook.Itisatonceavivid introductiontoafascinatingsocialandculturalworld;aprofoundanalysisofawitch trialthat shows us, invividdetail,whatthe accused person's family wentthrough and how such trials transformed family dynamics;and a deep study of one of the greatestscientistswhoeverlived,JohannesKepler,whichputshiminanunfamiliar settingandhelpsusunderstandhisextraordinary,independentmind.’ ProfessorAnthonyGrafton,PrincetonUniversity ‘Grippingandinspiring,thistaleofthesix-yearbattletoclearKatharinaKeplerof the charge of witchcraft yields striking new insights into the personalities and familiesinvolved,theircommunitiesandtheirculture.Katharina,presentedeven inrecentaccountsaswitch-like,emergesasaresilientandresourcefulsurvivorof harsh circumstances. In turn, her son and tireless defender, the astronomer JohannesKepler,oftenseenasanisolatedandtormentedsoul,figuresasfamilial and sociable, an optimistic and determined seeker after universal harmony and justice. The harrowing tale of accusations, threats and imprisonment is used to build up a rich and detailed picture of everyday life, commercial activities, legal proceduresandpoliticalcontrolinKatharina’sLutherancommunityintheDuchy ofWürttemberg.Thepast,withitshopesandfears,comeswonderfullytolifein thisscholarlymasterwork.’ ProfessorNicholasJardine,UniversityofCambridge ‘Thisbooktakesyourighttotheheartoflifeintheseventeenthcentury,withallits sense of intellectual possibility, its dreams and its fears. Rublack tells a shocking story. How was it possible for the mother of the famous scientist Kepler to be accusedofwitchcraft,andwhydidshecometotrial?Ingrippingprose,Rublack showshowthecasedestroyedthoseinvolvedinit.Shemakesusunderstandhow witchcraft could be credible and why people feared it so much. She makes us understand the psychological wellsprings of Kepler’s work. And she presents a wholenewaccountofscientificthinkinganditsrelationshiptonaturalknowledge atthedawnofanewera.ThemostcompellingbookIhavereadforalongtime.’ ProfessorLyndalRoper,UniversityofOxford the A stronomer WITCH & the U L I N K A R U B LL AA C K 1 3 GreatClarendonStreet,Oxford,OXDP UnitedKingdom OxfordUniversityPressisadepartmentoftheUniversityofOxford. ItfurtherstheUniversity’sobjectiveofexcellenceinresearch,scholarship, andeducationbypublishingworldwide.Oxfordisaregisteredtrademarkof OxfordUniversityPressintheUKandincertainothercountries #UlinkaRublack Themoralrightsoftheauthorhavebeenasserted FirstEditionpublishedin Impression: Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedin aretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,withoutthe priorpermissioninwritingofOxfordUniversityPress,orasexpresslypermitted bylaw,bylicenceorundertermsagreedwiththeappropriatereprographics rightsorganization.Enquiriesconcerningreproductionoutsidethescopeofthe aboveshouldbesenttotheRightsDepartment,OxfordUniversityPress,atthe addressabove Youmustnotcirculatethisworkinanyotherform andyoumustimposethissameconditiononanyacquirer PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyOxfordUniversityPress MadisonAvenue,NewYork,NY,UnitedStatesofAmerica BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData Dataavailable LibraryofCongressControlNumber: ISBN –––– PrintedinItalyby L.E.G.O.S.p.A. LinkstothirdpartywebsitesareprovidedbyOxfordingoodfaithand forinformationonly.Oxforddisclaimsanyresponsibilityforthematerials containedinanythirdpartywebsitereferencedinthiswork. ForFrancisco Table of Contents R TimelineofJohannesKepler’sLife,– ix NoteonDates xiii ListofIllustrations xv ListofAbbreviations xix Maps xxi Prologue xxvii Introduction   Katharina’s Life   A Lutheran Court   The Year of the Witches   Kepler’s Strategies   A Family Responds   Movements of the Soul   The Trial Continues   Other Witches   Katharina’s Imprisonment   Kepler’s Return   The Defence   The Trial Ends   Kepler’s Dream  Epilogue  viii TABLE OF CONTENTS  Notes  FurtherReadingandViewing Acknowledgements  Index  ’ Timeline of Key Dates in Johannes Kepler s – Life and Major Publications, R  Johannes Kepler born on  December in Weil der Stadt;hisparentsareHeinrich Kepler and Katharina Kepler, née Guldenmund  The Kepler family moves to nearby Leonberg, in the Lutheran territory of Württemberg  Johannes Kepler enters the local Latin school  The family moves to Ellmendingen in Baden  Johannes Kepler returns to Leonberg and passes a scholarship exam in Stuttgart