Origins & Early Life

Albertus Magnus (c. 1200 – 15 November 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great, Albert of Swabia, Albert von Bollstadt, or Albert of Cologne, was a German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, and bishop. He is considered one of the greatest medieval philosophers and thinkers. Canonized in 1931, he was known during his lifetime as Doctor universalis and Doctor expertus; late in his life the sobriquet Magnus was appended to his name.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Scholars such as James A. Weisheipl and Joachim R. Söder have referred to him as the greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages. The Catholic Church distinguishes him as one of the Doctors of the Church. It seems likely that Albertus Magnus was born sometime before 1200, given well-attested evidence that he was aged over 80 on his death in 1280.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Two later sources say that Albert was about 87 on his death, which has led 1193 to be commonly given as the date of Albert's birth, but this information does not have enough evidence to be confirmed. Albert was probably born in Lauingen (now in Bavaria), since he called himself 'Albert of Lauingen', but this might simply be a family name. Most probably his family was of ministerial...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Dōgen — Contemporary (Born in 1200) (1200): Founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan, known for zazen practice.
• Gebre Meskel Lalibela — Contemporary (Born in 1200) (1200): Founder of the monolithic rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, a powerful Zagwe king.
• Gorakhnath — Contemporary (Died in 1200) (1200): Founder of the Nath Hindu monastic movement, a revered 11th-century yogi and saint.
• Adolfo Pedernera — Shared historical date (11-15 · Born) (1918): Argentine football legend, nicknamed 'El Maestro,' pivotal in the 1940s.
• Alvin Plantinga — Shared historical date (11-15 · Born) (1932): Leading American philosopher and theologian known for Reformed epistemology.
• Zhu Xi — Historical peer (Died in 1200) (1200): Leading figure of Neo-Confucianism, shaping Chinese intellectual life for centuries.
• A. P. J. Abdul Kalam — Historical peer (Born in 1931) (1931): Visionary aerospace engineer, scientist, and former President of India.
• Albert A. Michelson — Historical peer (Died in 1931) (1931): Pioneering American experimental physicist known for light speed measurements.
• Lu Jiuyuan — Historical peer (Died in 1193) (1193): Founding father of the School of the Universal Mind, a major Neo-Confucian philosopher.
• Saladin — Historical peer (Died in 1193) (1193): Founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, a pivotal Sunni Muslim ruler in the Levant.
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