The Medieval Geography of Roger Bacon

Abstract

During the Middle Ages, the Geography in England was based on descriptive studies with locations from the advances of astrology and mathematics. This Medieval Geography was presented by Roger Bacon, a Franciscan Friar who developed the study of optics and the astrological observations during the 13th Century. The proposal of Roger Bacon is influenced by Aristotelian philosophy, the geocentric Ptolemaic system and Scholastic, but already shows the search for a scientific study by the instruments to ensure the usefulness of knowledge. Roger Bacon contributed in Cartography with better precision by the use of coordinates with instruments such as the astrolabe, later widely used in the Great Navigations. The chapter Geographia of Opus Majus is an important document on the known world in the 13th century, featuring descriptions of all Europe, Mongol Empire, India and China. The science of Bacon relates the explanations of the phenomena of nature with the influences of the stars and cartographic details that have contributed to the consolidation of Modern Geography.