Matthias Ringmann
Matthias Ringmann (* 1482 in Eichhoffen ( Alsace ); † 1511 in Schlettstadt ) was a German humanistic philologist and poet who is responsible for the designation of the continent America .
Ringmann and Martin Waldseemüller , a well-known cartographer , published a newly created map of the world including an “Introduction to Cosmography” in St. Didel, Lorraine in 1507 . At Ringmann's suggestion, the two scholars named the newly discovered countries in the west after the first name of Amerigo Vespucci , since Ringmann traditionally wanted to name the new countries after his discoverer, but erroneously identified Christopher Columbus Vespucci as the discoverer of America instead of Christopher Columbus. This mistake could not be corrected in later years either. Simón Bolívar still tried to name at least the Latin American part of the continent after the name of its discoverer , but in the further course of history this only led to the current name of the state of Colombia . The name creation for the (for Europe ) newly discovered continent was of course chosen with so much linguistic feeling that it began to assert itself inexorably. Based on certain sources it can be proven that just ten years later the name "America" was in use among scholars.
Ringmann, who called himself Philesius Vogesigena after the custom of humanists , taught as a Latin teacher at the Vosagense high school in St. Dié and in 1509 developed a didactic card game "Grammatica Figurata" to clarify Latin grammar . He thus entered into competition with his “archenemy” Thomas Murner , who is considered the inventor of didactic card games.
Individual evidence
- ↑ 1507 St. Didel (Lorraine): The cartographer Martin Waldseemüller ... www.geo.de ( Memento of the original from April 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (SWF file; 73 kB)
literature
- Wilhelm Kühlmann : Ringmann, Matthias. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 21, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-428-11202-4 , p. 635 f. ( Digitized version ).
Web links
- Matthias Ringmann: Grammatica Figurata (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ringmann, Matthias |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ringmann, Mathias |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German humanist and philologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1482 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Eichhoffen ( Alsace ) |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1511 |
| Place of death | Schlettstadt |