Matthias Ringmann (19th century painting)

Matthias Ringmann (1482-1511) was a German cartographer and humanist poet. He is credited with naming America on the map of his friend Martin Waldseemüller. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 386 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,139 × 1,767 pixels, file size: 400 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 386 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,139 × 1,767 pixels, file size: 400 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Events Portuguese fortify Fort Elmina on the Gold Coast Tizoc rules the Aztecs Diogo Cão, a Portuguese navigator, becomes the first European to sail up the Congo. ... Year 1511 (MDXI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Cartography or mapmaking (in Greek chartis = map and graphein = write) is the study and practice of making maps or globes. ... Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appeal to universal human qualities—particularly rationality. ... This article is about the art form. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the continents of North America[1] and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... Martin Waldseemüller (19th century painting). ...

Life

Born in Eichhoffen (Alsace) in 1482 (although this date is questioned), he also used the name Philesius Vogesigena. He became a schoolmaster and is often described as a poet. The arrondissement of Sélestat-Erstein is an arrondissement of France, located in the Bas-Rhin département, in the Alsace région. ... (New région flag) (Region logo) Location Administration Capital Regional President Departments Bas-Rhin Haut-Rhin Arrondissements 13 Cantons 75 Communes 904 Statistics Land area1 8,280 km² Population (Ranked 14th)  - January 1, 2006 est. ...

Some time around 1503 Ringmann visited Italy, where he first learned about explorations of the recently discovered western lands later known as the New World and later named the Americas. He mistakenly came to believe that Amerigo Vespucci had discovered the New World. Amerigo Vespucci (March 9, 1454 - February 22, 1512) was an Italian merchant, explorer and cartographer. ...

Upon his return to Germany, Ringmann moved to Saint-Die in Lorraine with his friend Martin Waldseemüller, a cartographer with whom he was working on a new Latin edition of Ptolemy's treatise on geography. Waldseemüller drew the maps while Ringmann edited the translation and wrote a preface. Ringmann is also the best candidate for the author of the introduction to Waldseemüller's great map and globe of the world although many historians attribute the work to Waldseemüller himself. It seems probable that Walter Ludd, the head of the Gymnasium Vosagense paid Ringmann and Waldseemüller to do this work for publication at the Gymnasium's printing press at St. Dié. Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, commonly referred to as Saint-Dié, is a commune of northeastern France. ... Lorraine coat of arms location of the Lorraine province Lorraine (French: Lorraine; German: Lothringen) is a historical area in present-day northeast France. ... Martin Waldseemüller (19th century painting). ...

Ringmann may have read the French edition of Vespucci's letters (Quatre Navigations d' Americ Vespuce). Whether this book or conversations in Italy were the source of Ringmann's misunderstanding of the accepted discoverer of the New World, he wrote in his introduction:

"There is a fourth quarter of the world which Amerigo Vespucci has discovered and which for this reason we can call 'America' or the land of Americo. […] We do not see why the name of the man of genius, Amerigo, who has discovered them, should not be given to these lands, as Europe and Asia have adopted the names of women."

When the book was published as Cosmographiae Introductio on April 25, 1507 it was the first time that the word 'AMERICA' appeared in print. Waldseemüller corrected the error in a later edition and named South America "Terra Nova", but the name America was already established. Cosmographiae introductio was a book published in 1507 to accompany Martin Waldseemüllers map of the world and wall-map, which was the first appearance of the name America. It is widely held to have been written by Matthias Ringmann although some historians attribute it to Waldseemüller himself. ... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1507 was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ...

Ringmann corrected the texts of the Latin editions of Ptolemy's geography published previously at Rome and Ulm, using a Greek manuscript borrowed from Italy (Codex Vaticanum Graecorum 191) while Waldseemüller edited the Ptolemaic maps and added twenty new ones. The result has been described as "the first modern atlas of the world".

Grammatica Figurata (1509).

In 1508 Ringmann made the first translation of Julius Caesar's Commentaries into German with supplemental lives by Suetonius, Plutarch, and others. One year later he published a card game Grammatica Figurata to make the grammatical rules of Donatus' Ars Minor more appealing to children. He died in 1511 in Schlettstadt. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 468 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (795 × 1,019 pixels, file size: 51 KB, MIME type: image/gif) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 468 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (795 × 1,019 pixels, file size: 51 KB, MIME type: image/gif) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Sélestat (German: Schlettstadt) is a commune of northeastern France, in the Bas-Rhin département, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ...

Grammatica Figurata

The Grammatica Figurata of Mathias Ringmann was first printed in 1509. This work was an attempt to enliven Donatus' Ars Minor by printing up illustrated card sets for each grammatical rule. Apparently the children would have a card set. The rules are not explained at length, but a few hints are scattered here and there in the work. The final section on "Exclamations" has a sentence on how to figure out which student has won. Each card represented a part of speech, a gender, a case, or a tense, etc. Depending upon the teacher's questions a student would play the appropriate card or cards. It is wacky and interesting even if it is of questionable pedagogical value.

References

Long believed to be lost, one copy of Grammatica figurata was found and reprinted in 1905. It was scanned and put on the internet by Ken Mayer (see: [[1]]). Of particular interest are Ringmann's digressions on assorted subjects, from the prevalence of gambling among the German priesthood to the reasons behind his refusal to illustrate full-frontal nudity.

Bibliography

• Waldseemüller, Martin, & Matthias Ringmann. Cosmographiae Introductio, (St. Die: 1507)
• Caesar, Julius. Ringmann Matthias (tr.) Julius der erst römisch Keiser von seinem Leben und Krieg, erstmals uss dem Latein in Tütsch gebracht vnd mit andrer Ordnung der Capittel und uil zusetz nüw getruckt. (Strassburg: Durch Joannem Grüninger, 1508).
• Ringmann, Matthias. Grammatica Figurata, (St. Die: 1509)
• Waldseemüller, Martin, & Matthias Ringmann (ed.). Clavdii Ptolemei Viri Alexandrini ... Geographie Opus Novissima Traductione E Grecorum Archetypis Castigatissime Pressum. (Strassburg: Johann Schott, 1520)

External links

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Matthias Ringmann

• Plaque in Freiburg commemorating Ringmann and Waldseemüller
• Wieser, Franz, Ritter von (ed.). Grammatica figurata des Mathias Ringmann (Philesius Vogesigena) in Faksimiledruck, (Strassburg: Heitz, 1905)
• Mayer, Ken. Matthias Ringmann: Grammatica Figurata, <http://trionfi.com/0/c/09/t.html> Retrieved April 4, 2005
• Fischer, J. 'Martin Waldseemüller', Catholic Encyclopedia, (1912)
• Press release about a new edition of the Waldseemüller world map