PIERRE GASSENDI
A Chronology of His Life & Works
Dr Robert A. Hatch - University of Florida

1601 - Riez

1602 - Riez & Digne

1607 - Champtercier

1609 - Autumn, Aix-en-Provence

1611 - Death of Gassendi's father, Anthoine Gassend

1612 - April, Digne

1614 - Receives Doctorat in Theology at Avignon; Election at Digne

1615 - Visits Paris April 1615, perhaps meets Peiresc

1615-1616 - Winter, returns to Aix-en-Provence

1617 - Chair in Philosophy at Aix-en-Provence (six years); lodges with J-J Gaultier

1620-1631 - Proceeding of the chapitre de Digne against les seigneurs de Gaubert.

1621 - Playnier

1622 - With Jesuits at the College at Aix-en-Provence

1623 - Death of Gassendi's mother, Françoise Fabry
28 November, arrives in Grenoble

1623-1624 - Travels to Grenoble, litigation with the Seigneurs de Gaubert.

1624 - 11 July, returns to Digne
20 September - Departs Digne for Paris
15 October - Arrives at Paris

Publishes: Exercitationum paradoxicarum adversus Aristoteleos libri septem... Grenoble 1624.

1625 - 1 April - Departs Paris
18 April - Arrives Grenoble
19 August - Departs Grenoble
19 October - Arrives Aix-en-Provence
21 December - Departs Aix-en-Provence
22 December - Returns to Digne; Resides in Provence

1626 - Nomination as Provost at Digne; begins work on Epicurus
12 May - Arrives Aix-en-Provence
20 June - Departs Aix-en-Provence

1628 May - Arrives Paris, resides in Paris 1628-1632; meets François Luillier
19/20 December - Departs Paris, visits Netherlands 1628-1629

1628-1629 Gassendi visits the Netherlands

1629 - 19 January - at Sedan
4 February - at Charlesville
8 March - at Aix-la-Chapelle
18-21 May - at Louvain
23 May - at Anvers
7 June - Departs Bruxelles, Gand and la cote maritime
14 June - at Bruxelles, Mons, Valenciennes, Douai, Arras, Béthune
2 July - at Calais, then The Hague, Leyden, Amsterdam, Utrecht
14 July - at Dordrecht
15 & 16 July - at Bois-le-Duc
17 July - Dordrecht
21 July - Bruxelles
8 August - Arrives in Paris

1630 Publishes: Parhelia sive soles quatuor qui circa verum apparuerunt.

Publishes: Epistolica Exercitatio, in qua praecipua Principia Philosophiae Roberti Fluddi.... Paris.

1632 October - Departs Paris for Provence
27 October - Lyon
3 November - Bourg en Bresse
6 November - Lyon
11 November - Departs Lyon
18 November - Grenoble
23 November - Returns to Digne (See his published letters to François Luillier)

Publishes: Mercurius in sole visus et l'enus invisa Parisiis anno 1631... Paris

1633 11 January - Digne
26 April - Aix-en-Provence
5 June - Digne

1634 - 19 March - Aix-en-Provence

1635 15 March - Departs Aix-en-Provence traveling in Provence with Peiresc
16 May - returns to Digne

1636 4 March - Departs Digne for Aix-en-Provence
7 August - Digne
16 September - Arrives at Aix-en-Provence

Gassendi writes the first letter to appear in De Apparente magnitudine solis humilis et sublimis, to Gabriel Naudé, 5 December 1636 from Aix-en-Provence.

Publishes Solstitialis Altitudo Massiliensis, seu Proportio Gnomonis ad solstitiatem umbram observata Massilae, anno 1636...

1637 24 June - N-C Fabri de Peiresc dies; Gassendi suffers depression
3 July - Departs Aix-en-Provence
20 August - Aix-en-Provence

1638 9 February - Departs Aix-en-Provence

6 June - Arrives Digne

Meets the new governor of Provence, Louis de Valois, later Gassendi's patron. First evidence of Gassendi's illness.

1639 - 21 February - Departs Digne; Draguignan
July - at Digne

1640 - Second letter of De Apparente... to Fortunio Liceti, Italian scholastic, dated 13 August 1640 from Aix-en-Provence.

1641 - Gassendi returns to Paris with manuscript of Peiresc biography.
16 January - at Embrun
27 January - L'Isle en Vernaissin; Mane; Lyon
Before 9 February Arrives in Paris
23 February - Mantes
August - in Paris

Publishes: De Nicolai Claudii Fabrici de Peiresc, Senatoris Aquisextiensis, Vita. Paris. This volume is reprinted in The Hague 1650, 1655, and is translated in English 1657.

At Mersenne's request, Gassendi contributes objections to Descartes' Meditations. It appears as Objectiones quintae Petri Gassendi Diniensis Ecclesiae Praepositi et acutissimi Philosophi.

1642 - Publishes: De Apparente magnitudine Solis humilis atque sublimis Epistolae quatuor, in quibus complura physica opticaque Problemata proponuntur et explicantur. In addition to letters of Naudé and Liceti, Gassendi includes his letters to Ismael Boulliau and Jean Chapelain from early 1641.

Publishes: De Motu impresso a Motore translato. Epistolae duae, in quibus aliquot praecipuae, tum de motu universe, tum speciatim de motu terrae attrigbuto, difficultates explicantur.

Publishes: letter to P. Cazrée, De proportione qua gravia decidentia accelerantur.

1643 Publishes: Novem stellae circa Jovem visae, et de eisdem P. Gassendi judicium. Accessit observatio geminatae in singulos dies (aestus maris instar) reciprocationis perpendiculorum.

1644 Publishes: Disquisitio Metaphysica, seu Dubitationes et Instantiae adversus Renati Cartesii Metaphysicam et Responsa. Amsterdam.

1645 - Gassendi is named Professor at the Collège Royal by Alphonse de Richelieu, Cardinal-Archbishop of Lyon.

1646 - Gassendi again shows signs of his illness.

Publishes: De Proportione qua gravia dedicentia accelerantur: Epistolae tres, quibus ad totidem Epistolas R.P. Cazraei, S.J., respondetur.

1647 - mid-October - Gassendi at Digne

Publishes: Institutio astronomica juxta Hypotheseis tam Veterum quam Copernici et Tychonis dictata a Petro Gassendo. Ejusdem Oratio inauguralis iterato edita.

1648 - 2 December - Gassendi returns to Provence stopping at Lyon; arrives at Aix-en-Provence (6 months)

1649 - End of May or early June - Gassendi returns to Digne

Gassendi again attacked in print by Jean-Baptiste Morin.

Publishes: Animadversiones in Decimum Librum Diogenis Laertii, qui est de Vita, Moribus, Plascitisque Epicuri. Continent autem Placita quas ille treis statuit Philosophiae partes. I. Canonicam...; II. Physicam....; III. Ethicam. 3 volumes, Lyon; reprinted 1675 Lyon in 2 volumes.

Publishes: Philosophiae Epicuri Syntagma, reprinted The Hague 1659; London 1660; Amsterdam 1684.

1650 - Visit to Toulon; meets with François Luillier and his son Chapelle, and later with François Bernier. They repeat experiment of the Puy-de-Dôme.

Near the end of the year Louis de Valois leaves Provence.

1653 - March, Cardinal de Lyon dies.
In April, certainly by 9 May, Gassendi returns to Paris accompanied by F. Bernier. Gassendi lodges on the second floor of the Hôtel Montmor.
July - Gabriel Naudé dies.
14 November - Louis de Valois dies at Paris.

1654 - Gassendi Publishes: Tychonis Brahei, Equitis Dani, Astronomorum Coryphaei... Nicolai Copernici, Georgii Peurbachi et Joaniis Regiomontani, astronomorum celebrium, vita. Paris

Publishes: De sestertiorum moneta mostra expressorum Abacus. Paris. Dedicated to François Bernier.

Publishes: Romanum Calendarium compendiose expositum. Accessit Corollarium de Romano martyrologio. Dedicated to Claude Auvry.

Publishes: Notitia Ecclesiae Diniensis, cui accessit Concilium Avenionense anni 1326. Ex manuscripto Codice Statutorum ejusdem Ecclesiae.

Publishes: Manuductio ad Theorium seu partem speculativam Musicae.

Publishes: Sentimens sur l'Eclipse qui doit arriver le 12 du mois d'août prochain. Pour servir de réfutation aux faussetez qui on esté publiées sous le nom du Dr Andreas.

27 November - Gassendi becomes ill and slowly recovers.

1655 - 23 August - Gassendi again falls ill.
24 October - Pierre Gassendi dies, Hôtel Montmor, in the presence of friends.