Jesuit Science in Lisbon: The Practice of Astronomy in the Court of King João V, 1723-1750

About this lecture:

November 13, 2013, in the Linda Hall Library Auditorium.

In 1722, following a request by King João V of Portugal, two missionaries from the Naples College traveled to Lisbon: Giovanni Battista Carbone (1694-1750) and Domenico Capassi (1694-1736). The aim was to employ the two astronomers in cartographical work on the state of Maranhão, in Brazil. In this lecture, Luis Tirapicos, a PhD candidate in history of science at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, will discuss the work of these and other Jesuit astronomers in the wider context of the Portuguese-Spanish dispute of borders between its South American colonies.

Video produced by The VideoWorks of Roeland Park, Kansas.