Jan of Stobnica
Polish philosopher
Jan of Stobnica (ca. 1470 - 1530), was a Polish philosopher, scientist and geographer of the early 16th century.
Life
Jan was born in Stopnica, and was educated at the Jagiellonian University (Kraków Academy), where he taught as professor between 1498 and 1514. He authored numerous works on the subjects of logic, grammar, astronomy, geography, mathematics, music, natural sciences, and ethics.
Jan of Stobnica was one of Kraków's adherents of Scotism, a philosophical school brought in from Paris first by Michał Twaróg of Bystrzyków (ca. 1450 - 1520). Jan of Stobnica became Michał's most prominent student. Jan's most famous work, entitled "Introductio in Ptholomei Cosmographiam" (Introduction to the Cosmography of Ptolemy) featured some of the first maps printed in Poland. Likewise, his edition of Ptolemy first contained a map of North and South America showing the connection of the two continents by an isthmus. It is one of the oldest known references to North America with the Gulf of Mexico delimited by the peninsula of Florida, peculiarly labeled "Isa-bella" (see engraving), which corresponds to the name of Cuba in primitive times, which in fact he left it blank.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Jan of Stobnica” as polish philosopher. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as polish philosopher. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 19, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1374251. VIAF identifies the subject as 215143187. The Library of Congress control number is no2004089411. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1470, 1530, 1498 and 1514.
Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Jan of Stobnica”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Jan of Stobnica primary sources, Jan of Stobnica archive and Stobnica research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Jan of Stobnica”?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Jan of Stobnica” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.