Astronomy and Compotus at Oxford University in the Early Thirteenth Century: The Works of Robert Grosseteste

This dissertation examines two works of Robert Grosseteste (c. 1169–1253), his astronomical textbook, the De spera, and his computistical work, the Compotus correctorius. Through the use of a technique labelled exposition, the texts are presented to the reader through a means that combines elements both of translation and of extended commentary, thereby introducing these works in detail in English for the first time. The texts are also analyzed in terms of their medieval context, specifically the goals Grosseteste wished to accomplish in constructing them and their place in higher education. The first portion of the dissertation provides an intellectual and institutional context for Grosseteste's work, outlining the translation movement and the rise of the universities, especially Oxford, as they pertain to the questions of this dissertation. Grosseteste's biography is also considered, though certain facets of it are unsettled. By the end of the dissertation, it is suggested that Grosseteste's time spent in Hereford was formative for his later work in astronomy and compotus, and that his work in these areas was important for the development of natural philosophy at Oxford. It is argued that the De spera was a basic introduction to astronomy, incorporating the newly recovered science of the Greeks and Arabs. The astronomy presented in this text does not achieve a high degree of sophistication, but rather is directed at presenting various features of the created world. In relation to the astronomical work, other texts by Grosseteste are examined in order to delineate his interest in astrology. The Compotus correctorius, it is argued, was also composed as a textbook, though it contains information that probably was not taught to all students. The technical sophistication of the astronomy revealed in this text demonstrates the value of the newly translated Greek and Arabic science to Christian goals, namely, correcting the calendar. The fundamentally theological orientation of the work in maintaining the Christian calendar is also considered.