Nicolaus Copernicus pioneering contribution to the Scientific Revolution. Copernicus was born and died in Royal Prussia, a region that had been part of the Kingdom of Poland since 1466. A polyglot and polymath, he obtained a doctorate in canon law and was also a mathematician, astronomer, physician, classics scholar, translator, governor, diplomat, and economist. In 1517 he derived a quantity theory of money – a key concept in economics – and in 1519 he formulated an economic principle that later came to be called Gresham's law. Nicolaus Copernicus was born on 19 February 1473 in the city of Thorn (modern Toruń), in
Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies Early Modern periods It runs its own taught MA in Renaissance and Early Modern Studies and provides a stimulating and supportive environment for students taking postgraduate research degrees within the period. The Centre works closely with the Borthwick Institute for Archives and the University’s new departments and institutes in the Humanities (particularly the Department of Film, Theatre and Television and the Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past), as well as with the York Minster Library, the Yorkshire Country House Project and the National Centre for Early Music. It is developing partnerships with institutions across the UK, Europe and