Roger Bacon

c. 1219 – c. 1292

Roger Bacon (c. 1219-1292) was an English Franciscan friar and philosopher, known as Doctor Mirabilis, who emphasized the study of nature through empirical methods and mathematics. His Opus Majus, written for Pope Clement IV, surveyed optics, languages, mathematics, and experimental science. He is often regarded as an early advocate of the modern scientific method.

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Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Roger Bacon.

Life events

Born in England, possibly near Ilchester in Somerset
c. 1219

Bacon was born into a relatively wealthy English family; the exact date and place of his birth are uncertain.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Studied at the University of Oxford
c. 1233

Bacon studied the liberal arts at Oxford, where he was influenced by the tradition of Robert Grosseteste's interest in mathematics and optics.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Lectured on Aristotle at the University of Paris
c. 1240

Bacon became a master at Paris, where he was among the earliest medieval lecturers on Aristotle's natural philosophy.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Returned to Oxford and devoted himself to the study of sciences
c. 1247

Back in England, Bacon pursued intensive study of languages, optics, alchemy, and mathematics, reportedly spending large sums on books and instruments.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Joined the Franciscan Order
c. 1257

Bacon entered the Order of Friars Minor, a step that later constrained his freedom to publish his writings.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Completed the Opus Majus for Pope Clement IV
1267

At the pope's request Bacon sent him the Opus Majus, an ambitious survey of knowledge covering grammar, mathematics, optics, experimental science, and moral philosophy, followed by the Opus Minus and Opus Tertium.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Alleged imprisonment by the Franciscan Order
c. 1278

According to a later chronicle, Bacon was condemned and confined by his order for 'suspected novelties' in his teaching, though the reliability of this account is disputed by historians.

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Wrote his final work, the Compendium of the Study of Theology
c. 1292

Near the end of his life Bacon composed the Compendium studii theologiae, his last surviving work.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in Oxford
c. 1292

Bacon died in Oxford around 1292 and was reportedly buried at the Franciscan church there.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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