Heavenly Intrigue: Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and the Murder Behind One of History's Greatest Scientific Discoveries [Hardcover]

Joshua Gilder (Author), Anne-Lee Gilder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 2004

A real-life Amadeus: Set against the backdrop of the Counter-Reformation, this is the story of the stormy collaboration between two revolutionary astronomers, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. That collaboration would mark the dawn of modern science . . . and end in murder.

Johannes Kepler changed forever our understanding of the universe with his three laws of planetary motion. He demolished the ancient model of planets moving in circular orbits and laid the foundation for the universal law of gravitation, setting physics on the course of revelation it follows to this day. Kepler was one of the greatest astronomers of all time. Yet if it hadn't been for the now lesser-known Tycho Brahe, the man for whom Kepler apprenticed, Kepler would be a mere footnote in today's science books. Brahe was the Imperial Mathematician at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor in Prague and the most famous astronomer of his era. He was one of the first great systematic empirical scientists and one of the earliest founders of the modern scientific method. His forty years of planetary observations—an unparalleled treasure of empirical data—contained the key to Kepler's historic breakthrough. But those observations would become available to Kepler only after Brahe's death. This groundbreaking history portrays the turbulent collaboration between these two astronomers at the turn of the seventeenth century and their shattering discoveries that would mark the transition from medieval to modern science.

But that is only half the story. Based on recent forensic evidence (analyzed here for the first time) and original research into medieval and Renaissance alchemy—all buttressed by in-depth interviews with leading historians, scientists, and medical specialists—the authors have put together shocking and compelling evidence that Tycho Brahe did not die of natural causes, as has been believed for four hundred years. He was systematically poisoned—most likely by his assistant, Johannes Kepler.

An epic tale of murder and scientific discovery, Heavenly Intrigue reveals the dark side of one of history’s most brilliant minds and tells the story of court politics, personal intrigue, and superstition that surrounded the protean invention of two great astronomers and their quest to find truth and beauty in the heavens above.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Johannes Kepler's laws of planetary motion rank among science's biggest ideas. But did Kepler lie, steal, or even murder for the data he needed to complete his revolutionary calculations? Joshua and Anne-Lee Gilder make this bold claim in Heavenly Intrigue, the story of Kepler's troubled relationship with Tycho Brahe. The astronomers are shown as polar opposites--Kepler the anguished, poor misanthrope and Brahe the blustering young noble on intimate terms with King Frederick II. Since the authors tip their hand early in the book, it's easy to mistake the two men's lives as predestined, their sad fates written in the stars. Kepler, the suspect, is revealed to be consumed with a "constant boiling anger" and beset by illness and unhealed sores. When Kepler and Brahe meet, it is under a dark cloud of misunderstanding that foreshadows later conflicts. Each genius offends the other, publicly and privately: Brahe, holding the money and power, makes Kepler do tedious calculations rather than sponsoring original research, while Kepler demands patronage and lusts after valuable data. When the story is done, the narrative moves quickly to the 20th century. The apocryphal tale of Brahe's demise by burst bladder is systematically countered by researchers who find toxic levels of mercury in hairs from what is presumed to be Brahe's corpse. Did Kepler, who had means, motive, and opportunity, poison Brahe? Readers will either be convinced by the end of the prologue or have lingering doubts about the case's holes that even the authors' certainty can't patch. --Therese Littleton

From Publishers Weekly

Novelist Joshua Gilder (Ghost Image) and his wife, former TV producer and investigative reporter Anne-Lee Gilder, offer a startling twist on the story of the troubled relationship of Tycho Brahe and his assistant, Johannes Kepler-who together laid the foundation for modern astronomy-and Brahe's unexpected and suspicious death at age 54 in 1601. The cause of Brahe's death had been debated for 400 years, but in 1991, forensic study of remains of Brahe's hair discovered lethal levels of mercury in his system. Dismissing other medical explanations for the mercury levels, the Gilders conclude that Brahe was murdered by Kepler, whose own work on the three laws of planetary motion-laws that changed human understanding of the universe-would remain incomplete without Brahe's closely guarded observational data. The authors weave together the personal histories of Brahe and Kepler, as well as the political, religious and scientific debates that raged during their lives. They find evidence of Kepler's obsessive desire to obtain Brahe's observations in letters by the young scientist, whom they portray in 20th-century diagnostic terms as a sociopath, permanently scarred by an abusive childhood. The Gilders' portrait of Kepler is interesting, albeit unpleasant; they catalogue his penchant for fallings out, paranoia and scheming in off-putting detail, and the explanations of his early scientific theories, which were wrong and impenetrably dense, will not be of universal interest. The writing is professional but not noteworthy, and the Gilders occasionally stretch the inconclusive evidence into speculations too thin to persuade.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; First Edition edition (May 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385508441
• ISBN-13: 978-0385508445
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,257,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Step Too Far, June 22, 2004

By 

Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Heavenly Intrigue: Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and the Murder Behind One of History's Greatest Scientific Discoveries (Hardcover)

I debated over whether or not to read this book. I am fascinated by the relationship between Johannes Kepler and the lesser known but crucially important Tycho Brahe. Still, it was only about a year ago that I read Kitty Ferguson's excellent book, Tycho & Kepler. In addition, I was rather turned off by the Gilders' assertion that Kepler had murdered Brahe in order to get his astronomical data. Ultimately, however, I felt I had to give the book a chance.

There is a lot of good stuff here. Though not as in-depth as Ferguson, the Gilders produce a very readable outline of the lives and relationship between Kepler & Brahe. It is solid prose that reads very quickly and hits all of the major points. I also enjoy their use of primary sources such as Kepler's letters and other writings. I felt I had a much more personal understanding of Kepler--his obsessions and irritations--after reading this. However, it is clear the Gilders prefer Brahe and, though I feel he is very underrated historically, he is by no means an angel himself. Still, if they wouldn't have gotten into the forensic information about Brahe's death they would have written a wonderful dual biography.

So, what to make of this forensic evidence? I am generally suspect of these investigations because what can you really know for sure 400 years after the fact? Well, I found their evidence very convincing of one thing: that Tycho Brahe was murdered, most likely by mercury poisoning. On the other hand, I felt their assertion that Kepler was the perpetrator much less convincing. Certainly, Kepler was difficult to work with and sometimes weak on ethics where his science was concerned; however, it is a long way from jerk to murderer.

Brahe was a nobleman recently expelled from his homeland by his enemies now dealing with a court at Prague ruled by an increasingly mad "emperor." No one knows the extent of Brahe's household including servants and minor assistants at the time of his death. Certainly Kepler ranked high among Brahe's assistants but the two did not really get along. Is it likely that Brahe would have had Kepler at his side during an excruciating illness, taking a cup of mercury-laced milk from him at his bedside? I don't think so. And could Kepler have kept this murder a secret when he was so apt to rage and verbal self-flagellation? Again, I don't think so.

Ultimately, I think the Gilders have done a service by bringing out the simple fact of Brahe's murder. I, for one, had never come across such an assertion in my reading and I am glad to know it. But they go too far to accuse Kepler. There is a tendency these days to fling whatever mud we can at the "great men" of history. Kepler may not have been a great, or even a good, man but he was a great intellect and there is little to prove him a murderer. Unfortunately, the truth of Brahe's death will likely never be known.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Facing Hard Facts, September 27, 2004

By 

James C. Decamp (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Heavenly Intrigue: Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and the Murder Behind One of History's Greatest Scientific Discoveries (Hardcover)

I'll be brief. This book is an outstanding work, reflecting genuine scholarship and wide ranging research. I found it painful to read. Why? The experience is somewhat like seeing O. J. Simpson credibly accused of murdering his ex-wife. One of the idols of one's youth is shattered before your disbelieving eyes. But the authors make a convincing case.

Astronomy and cosmology receive very light treatment. I suppose if you are not aware of the roles of Tycho, Kepler and Copernicus in revolutionizing astronomy, this is not the place to start.

I think anyone interested in the history of astronomy needs to read this book, but only after one is aware of the larger history of cosmology.

Why only four stars? There is a certain lack of coherence that might have been remedied with better editorial review. In addition conciseness seems to spill over into misstatement in places.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Intentionally Inaccurate, Or Just Poor Scholarship?, March 7, 2005

By 

Anthony Russo - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Heavenly Intrigue: Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and the Murder Behind One of History's Greatest Scientific Discoveries (Hardcover)

This book is as worthless for research as "The Da Vinci Code." I was particularly shocked at the authors' decision to ignore the fact that Tycho was an unbearable snob, a petty despot and a complete boor in order to portray Kepler in the worst possible light. If Tycho was indeed poisoned, it may have been by one of the hoodlums in his family or one of the many powerful nobles he snubbed.
Although it is common to sacrifice the innocent in the interest of sensationalism, this pseudo-historical account, with its extensive bibliography, truly sinks to new lows in selective revelation. The cynical allusion to Kepler's religious ambivalence is the product of the post-modern approach to religion, where, for instance, Catholics get divorced and hope for the best. It is clear from his writings that Kepler took his religious commitments seriously and was genuinely hurt by what he called the un-Christian attitudes between the brothers in Christ.
The decision to overlook this along with other well documented information that calls Tycho's character into question (for instance the horrors of his treatment of the Hveen population or his routine snubbing of Christian IV) and reveals Kepler as a man of conscience falls somewhere between irresponsible and slanderous.