1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, A production of iHeartRadio and Grimm 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:11,560 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky listener discretion advised, shall I 3 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: die before I sing Mass in Jerusalem? That was the 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: key question that Gerbert of Arelac asked to his unnervingly 5 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: stoic companion. Gerbert was one of the most accomplished scholars 6 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: of his age, a teacher of emperors and a master 7 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:38,840 Speaker 1: of sciences, yet he was never quite satisfied. His curiosity, 8 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:43,599 Speaker 1: ambition and Hubrius had pushed him to seek power and 9 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 1: wealth through the dark arts, and in honing his sinister skills, 10 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: he had built a statue head that could speak. This 11 00:00:55,640 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: metallic automaton was magically bound to tell the truth and 12 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 1: could predict the future, but it only responded when asked 13 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: questions and only replied either yes or no. For instance, 14 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: one of Gerbert's first inquiries was will I be Pope? 15 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: His unholy statue prophet said yes. All of that is, 16 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: of course, according to legend, or rather a long history 17 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:34,120 Speaker 1: of embellished stories that sought to explain and or tarnish 18 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: the unique life and unprecedented rise of a brilliant French 19 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: clergyman across the tenth century and start of the second millennium. 20 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:49,880 Speaker 1: In some versions of that story, Gerbert consulted a wily 21 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 1: demon instead of a mechanical oracle. Some chroniclers insisted it 22 00:01:55,480 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: was a female demon named Murdana. Others were counted how 23 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: Gerbert additionally made a pact with the devil and was 24 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 1: perhaps even the Antichrist himself. Juicy stuff amid all of 25 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: these vivid rumors, though several evidence backed details have endured, 26 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: as Gerbert's own letters and numerous contemporary accounts from his 27 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: time showed Gerbert was indeed motivated by a passion for knowledge. 28 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: He continually expanded his scientific expertise, and his ambitions did 29 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: very much push him to seek increasingly high posts. Per 30 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: his statue head's alleged prediction, Gerbert did eventually become pope, 31 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: choosing the name Sylvester the Second. Yet in summoning the 32 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 1: Catholic Church's hierarchical mountain, he and his scientific contributions faced 33 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: mounting disdain and danger. Modern historians disagree with many of 34 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: their centuries earlier counterparts about whether Gerbert's ultimate undoing was 35 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: the result of a complex web of ideological and geopolitical 36 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: factors or punishment for a life of supposed diabolical dealings, 37 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: but just about every account seems to agree that one 38 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 1: thing of vital importance was, in the words of the 39 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: classic real estate adage, location, location location. As the myth goes, 40 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: Gerbert asked his mythical statue had that crucial question, if 41 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: you would die before singing Mass in Jerusalem. The head 42 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: replied no, easy, then Gerbert would live as long as 43 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: he could put off traveling to the ancient city. But 44 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: in avoiding Jerusalem, Gerbert apparently overlooked a crucial wrinkle. In Rome, 45 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: there was a church commonly called Jerusalem, and by giving 46 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: Mass there on May third, one thousand and three, in 47 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: both legend and reality, he finally sealed his fate. Got 48 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: to pay attention to the fine print. I'm Danas Schwartz 49 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:33,559 Speaker 1: and this is noble blood. In nine hundred and sixty seven, 50 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: Gerbert made a journey that would change his life. The 51 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:41,919 Speaker 1: transition from a relatively small monastery in the Kingdom of 52 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: France to the humming metropolis of Barcelona would have been 53 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: enticing to any curious mind. For Gerbert, then a young, 54 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:56,599 Speaker 1: opportunistic monk with a voracious appetite for knowledge, Spain was 55 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: basically and all you can learn buffet. Herbert was especially 56 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:09,679 Speaker 1: interested in the four traditional liberal arts known as the quadrivium, arithmetic, geometry, music, 57 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:14,719 Speaker 1: and astronomy. Along the border of the Muslim ruled region 58 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:19,920 Speaker 1: of the Iberian Peninsula known as Al Andalus, Gerbert found 59 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:24,679 Speaker 1: scholarly communities that not only prized learning in those areas, 60 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 1: but also reportedly showed tremendous levels of tolerance and collaboration 61 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 1: between Muslim, Christian, and Jewish intellectuals. Gerbert's exact whereabouts during 62 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:40,679 Speaker 1: his three years in Spain have sparked a fair amount 63 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 1: of politically fueled controversy among historians of different eras. However, 64 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: it is no stretch to say that, regardless of whether 65 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: Gerbert mostly stayed in Barcelona and at the Santa Maria 66 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: deir Pol monastery, or whether he crossed the border into 67 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: Islamic Spain, he absorbed significant wisdom and expertise that initially 68 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: came from Muslim scholars and Arabic educational centers. For instance, 69 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 1: the Royal Library in Cordoba, the then capital of l 70 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:17,160 Speaker 1: and de Luce, was said to house between forty thousand 71 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:22,160 Speaker 1: and four hundred thousand books, many of which were translated 72 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 1: from Persian, Indian, Greek, and African languages, and many of 73 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: those books had purportedly come from an acclaimed public academy 74 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: in Baghdad known as the House of Wisdom. So naturally, 75 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: given Gerbert's well documented love of reading and frequent letters 76 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 1: sent requesting tomes on topics of interest, Gerbert encountered plenty 77 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:52,960 Speaker 1: of relevant texts and well informed scholars whose ideas had 78 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:58,720 Speaker 1: originated or flourished in the spirited, incubating environment of Spain's 79 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:03,839 Speaker 1: Islamic caes, whether or not he physically learned there himself 80 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 1: or not. Gerbert left for Rome in nine hundred and 81 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: seventy and used his Spanish education to distinguish himself as 82 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:19,119 Speaker 1: a teacher and scientist. In fact, he impressed the Holy 83 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:23,080 Speaker 1: Roman Emperor Otto the First so much that the ruler 84 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 1: hired Gerbert to tutor his son, Otto the Second. Gerbert 85 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:32,520 Speaker 1: went on to run a cathedral school in Riim, near Paris, 86 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 1: and he became an extremely popular educator. Accounts from many 87 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: of Gerbert's colleagues and proteges were so glowing that it's 88 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: tempting to picture him as both an esteemed, erudite math 89 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: professor and a hip loves to sit on his chair 90 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: backwards youth pastor to inspire students. Gerbert reportedly infused lessons 91 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: with everything from rousing debates with famed philosophers to explanations 92 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 1: of fractions that involved showing how finger placement on a 93 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:15,160 Speaker 1: simple instrument affected a string's vibrations. While teaching, Gerbert also 94 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 1: continued his own research. It would take too long to 95 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: cover all of his scientific achievements, so here are some highlights. 96 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 1: Gerbert arguably became Christian Europe's most famed mathematician during his lifetime. 97 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: He did that not so much by coming up with 98 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 1: entirely original ideas, but by applying concepts in resourceful ways. 99 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: For example, Gerbert became widely known for embracing Arabic numerals 100 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 1: and showcasing to Latin Europe how they made arithmetic far 101 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:55,280 Speaker 1: easier than Roman numerals. A chief asset in that mission 102 00:08:55,559 --> 00:09:02,720 Speaker 1: was an upgraded abacus, As anyone who's ever to add, subtract, multiply, 103 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:07,560 Speaker 1: or divide using the ancient Roman system can attest. Not 104 00:09:07,679 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 1: to mention any of us who have struggled to merely 105 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 1: decode Super Bowl numbers. Long strings of letters make large 106 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:22,160 Speaker 1: figures unwieldy. By simplifying the counting pieces on an abacus 107 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: so they each held a single digit from one to nine, 108 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 1: Gerbert constructed a device that allowed him to perform calculations 109 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: with jaw dropping speed. He additionally introduced the concept of 110 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: zero and would reportedly show off by adding and multiplying 111 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 1: numbers into the octilians. Some writers and scientists point to 112 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: that analog calculator as one of the world's first computers. 113 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 1: In the field of music, Gerbert helped to fine tune 114 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:02,720 Speaker 1: an instrument called a water His experimenting led him to 115 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:08,680 Speaker 1: skillfully design a long tube that ingeniously created air pressure 116 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:13,680 Speaker 1: by harnessing flowing water, which then allowed the organ's pipes 117 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 1: to sound without requiring the strenuous labor of operating bellows. Finally, 118 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:24,960 Speaker 1: when it came to astronomy, Gerbert obsessively observed the skies 119 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:30,440 Speaker 1: and became exceptionally proficient with several devices. One tool was 120 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:35,960 Speaker 1: the armillary sphere, an intricate globe with attached rings that 121 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: charted the paths of planet and stars. In Gerbert's time, 122 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 1: the Earth was at the center of this contraption, with 123 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: other bodies orbiting around it. Despite that inaccurate model, Gerbert 124 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:53,920 Speaker 1: was still able to use his customized armillary spheres to 125 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 1: closely track the trajectories of stars and engagingly display astronomy 126 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:05,600 Speaker 1: concepts to his students. Gerbert's written correspondence also shows that 127 00:11:05,679 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 1: he was hugely interested in using astral observations to calculate time. 128 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: Rudimentary clocks like sundials had been around for thousands of years, 129 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 1: but Gerbert wanted to be able to more accurately track 130 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:25,720 Speaker 1: time by day and night, and to find a more 131 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:31,440 Speaker 1: comprehensive model to explain the fluctuations of daylight hours across 132 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: the seasons. Although none of Gerbert's favored timekeeping devices seemed 133 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: to have survived, references by a Prince bishop contemporary point 134 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:48,760 Speaker 1: to Gerbert constructing an intricate nightclock that likely borrowed features 135 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:55,360 Speaker 1: from ancient devices like astrolabes and noctoralabes. Some modern historians 136 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 1: have argued that Gerbert's linking of calculable time with heavenly 137 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:05,800 Speaker 1: movements helped spawn the medieval field of mathematical astronomy in 138 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:10,000 Speaker 1: Christian Europe, at the very least, given accounts that he 139 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 1: wowed kings and noble courts by predicting eclipses, Gerbert must 140 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:20,280 Speaker 1: have made quite the party guest. Gerbert's rising fame created 141 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 1: additional employment opportunities, both within the Catholic Church and the 142 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:30,560 Speaker 1: highest royal houses. The involved machinations are fairly complicated, but 143 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:34,040 Speaker 1: in broad strokes, Gerbert kept up strong ties with the 144 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 1: Ottoman dynasty, to the point that he completed something of 145 00:12:37,559 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: a fully Roman hat trick by eventually mentoring Otto the Third. 146 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: Gerbert's third time educating a royal auto proved to be 147 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:51,840 Speaker 1: quite the charm in terms of his own ecclesiastical career. 148 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:56,840 Speaker 1: In nine hundred and ninety nine, Gerbert's close relationship with 149 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:01,120 Speaker 1: the young emperor helped him become pope. He chose the 150 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:06,439 Speaker 1: name Sylvester the Second, signaling his admiration for Pope Sylvester 151 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:12,559 Speaker 1: the First, who had advised Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. Accordingly, 152 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:17,679 Speaker 1: Gerbert hoped to help Otto the Third reunite Constantinople and 153 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:22,319 Speaker 1: Rome into one realm and usher in a new golden 154 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: age built on law, tolerance, and learning. Unfortunately, for Gerbert 155 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 1: and arguably portions of Europe, fate or universal randomness, God 156 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:42,920 Speaker 1: or the Devil had other plans before delving into Gerbert's 157 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:47,920 Speaker 1: fraught time as pope and the ensuing macabre legends. It's 158 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: worth adding some quick context and clarification regarding a few 159 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 1: core elements. First, despite later scholars coining erroneous and reductive 160 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: term like the Dark Ages and the Enlightenment, Gerbert did 161 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:09,880 Speaker 1: not live in a time of intellectual darkness. Numerous empires 162 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 1: and cultures across the globe continually innovated, and while some 163 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:20,359 Speaker 1: of the European hubs in which Gerbert lived initially resisted 164 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 1: certain concepts, these realms were not wholly overwhelmed by ignorant, 165 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:31,960 Speaker 1: superstitious thought. For example, Gerbert's written correspondence with other academic 166 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:36,280 Speaker 1: show that they knew the Earth was round, whereas later 167 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 1: supposedly enlightened figures, including a few early humanists, continued to 168 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 1: spread theories that Earth was flat. In addition, it can 169 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: sometimes be difficult to avoid viewing the relationship between religion 170 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:54,800 Speaker 1: and science through a modern lens, considering all the periods 171 00:14:54,840 --> 00:15:00,160 Speaker 1: of fraud history there. But in Gerbert's day, religion and 172 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 1: science weren't really thought of as separate fields or subjects 173 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:10,120 Speaker 1: supported by warring communities were often the opposite was the case. 174 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 1: Many who served the church were also researchers who sought 175 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: scientific inquiry as a means to reveal and revel in 176 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:24,720 Speaker 1: God's work. Finally, though some of the traditions and trappings 177 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:29,320 Speaker 1: shown in recent papal news coverage and in films like 178 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:34,560 Speaker 1: Conclave were still present in the early thousands, the position 179 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: of pope was different. Back then. Those doing the job 180 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:45,880 Speaker 1: were tremendously hampered by coups, forced exiles, excommunications, and the 181 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 1: presence of the occasional anti popes. Numerous popes also simply 182 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 1: died soon into their reigns, which obviously was very inconvenient 183 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 1: for any of the long term ambitions they might have had. 184 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 1: In short, things were nuanced and complex, and so was Gerbert. 185 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:09,800 Speaker 1: He sought to foster ties between kingdoms and kept up 186 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:14,040 Speaker 1: a vast scholarly network, but he also had his own 187 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 1: ego and academic beliefs, and he could get prickly with 188 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: authority figures. Eventually he even had to flee Rome when 189 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 1: the nobility revolted. Then Emperor Otto the Third suddenly died, 190 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 1: which essentially destroyed Gerbert's hope of uniting East and West 191 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 1: to foster a new Golden Age. Through this time, Gerbert's 192 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 1: uncompromising leadership style and political alignments prompted his enemies to 193 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 1: occasionally brand him a dark sorcerer or the Antichrist. That said, 194 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 1: it's helpful to bear in mind that for centuries, if 195 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:02,400 Speaker 1: not millennia, insults in that vain were commonly tossed at 196 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:08,399 Speaker 1: those in power. Interestingly, the most salacious and lasting legends 197 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:13,919 Speaker 1: about Gerbert surfaced after his death, and their iterations reveal 198 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:19,840 Speaker 1: much about the predilections of their storytellers. For example, toward 199 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:24,200 Speaker 1: the end of the eleventh century, decades after Gerbert's death, 200 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:29,320 Speaker 1: a cardinal named Beno wanted to replace the sitting pope 201 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:33,800 Speaker 1: who was trying to increase his papal powers. So Cardinal 202 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:39,000 Speaker 1: Beno wrote a diatribe alleging that that pope had been 203 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:43,600 Speaker 1: schooled by the dark wizard Gerbert and his disciples. In 204 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:47,560 Speaker 1: his writing, Beno explained how Gerbert, who had come from 205 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:51,920 Speaker 1: humble peasant beginnings, had found success by making a deal 206 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:57,639 Speaker 1: with the devil. Similar notes of elitism and possible professional 207 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:03,640 Speaker 1: jealousy seemed to waft from many other storytellers and Detractor's 208 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:08,800 Speaker 1: accounts that also claim a diabolical pact as the only 209 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:15,320 Speaker 1: possible explanation for the fame and wisdom that humbleborn Gerbert attained. 210 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 1: Twelfth century English writer Walter Mapp went further. He leaned 211 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 1: into the idea that Gerbert reached a sinful agreement with 212 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:32,080 Speaker 1: a beautiful, all knowing demon named Maradiana. He also asserted 213 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:36,840 Speaker 1: that Gerbert successfully repented at the end of his life, 214 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 1: thus proffering a parable that tracks with Mapp's background as 215 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 1: a bishop and iterant justice. According to some modern historians, 216 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: maps fanciful retelling of Gerbert's life also fits with Mapp's 217 00:18:54,640 --> 00:19:01,879 Speaker 1: preference for covering stories with fantastical, romantic, and even satirical elements. 218 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:06,199 Speaker 1: Fun fact, Walter Mapp was reportedly one of the first 219 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 1: writers in England to record and start to popularize stories 220 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:17,399 Speaker 1: of vampires. William of Malmsbury, an English monk and notable historian, 221 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:21,840 Speaker 1: possibly added the most vivid detail of all in his 222 00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:27,040 Speaker 1: twelfth century chronicle of Gerbert's life. As some critics have asserted, 223 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:31,560 Speaker 1: the style in which he describes Gerbert cavorting around in 224 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:37,080 Speaker 1: Spain with beautiful women and Arab wizards sometimes reads more 225 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 1: like the folk tales in One thousand and One Nights 226 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:46,440 Speaker 1: than that of a will substantiated biography. William also largely 227 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:51,080 Speaker 1: promoted the legend about Gerbert using what he allegedly learned 228 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:56,520 Speaker 1: in Muslim al Andalous to create his oracle statue head 229 00:19:56,720 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 1: in Rome. Once again, the ti and ideological leanings of 230 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:08,360 Speaker 1: these records are significant following the rising cultural conflicts at 231 00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:11,400 Speaker 1: the heart of the Great Schism in ten fifty four 232 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 1: and the First Crusade in ten ninety six. William, linking 233 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:22,560 Speaker 1: Gerbert's purported sins to knowledge he ostensibly learned from Spain's 234 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:29,160 Speaker 1: Islamic Caliphate, mirrored a move by many influential Christian figures 235 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:35,440 Speaker 1: to decry any wisdom gained from sources outside of Latin Europe. 236 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:40,320 Speaker 1: There are also many graphic legends about Gerbert's death. Most 237 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:44,720 Speaker 1: begin similarly with his sins catching up with him once 238 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:48,160 Speaker 1: he attended Mass in the Church of the Holy Cross 239 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:53,400 Speaker 1: of Jerusalem, which again was located in Rome. From there 240 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:57,919 Speaker 1: the tall tales begin to branch out. Some claim he 241 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,639 Speaker 1: fell ill and tried to re pent by asking his 242 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: cardinals to cut off his limbs, tongue, and or hands, 243 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 1: and then to scatter his pieces across the city. Others 244 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:14,879 Speaker 1: claim that the devil showed up in the church to 245 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: personally beat and mutilate Gerbert. One impish iteration specified that 246 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: the devil gouged out Gerbert's eyeballs so that his demons 247 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:31,879 Speaker 1: could play with them. Regardless of these rumored antics, Gerbert 248 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:36,359 Speaker 1: was duly buried at the Saint John Lateran Cathedral in Rome. 249 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:42,199 Speaker 1: Over the next few centuries, though additional myths abounded that 250 00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 1: his marble tomb routinely sweated and that his bones rattled 251 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:52,879 Speaker 1: to foretell the death of successive popes. When it comes 252 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 1: to more solidly corroborated historical evidence, most accounts do point 253 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:02,879 Speaker 1: to Gerbert f falling ill after attending Mass at the 254 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:07,400 Speaker 1: church known as Jerusalem on May third, one thousand and three, 255 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:12,600 Speaker 1: and then dying shortly after on May twelfth. Historians are 256 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:16,920 Speaker 1: unsure of the exact cause of death, but some maintain 257 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:20,960 Speaker 1: that it was probably a disease such as malaria, which 258 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 1: had a track record of killing many rulers and popes 259 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 1: in Rome. As scientists later learned, those with Northern European 260 00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: roots were especially susceptible since they lacked genetically transferred protection. 261 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:43,480 Speaker 1: So once again, location was a critical element of Gerbert's life. 262 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:47,960 Speaker 1: But while Gerbert's personal and professional battles were over, the 263 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:56,000 Speaker 1: fight over his legacy would continue for centuries. To this day, 264 00:22:56,240 --> 00:23:03,520 Speaker 1: Gerbert remained the only professional mathematician to become pope, although coincidentally, 265 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: the very newly elected Pope Leo the fourteenth did get 266 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:14,280 Speaker 1: a math degree. After Gerbert's death, certain partisan historians chose 267 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:19,000 Speaker 1: to primarily call him Gerbert rather than Pope Sylvester the Second, 268 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 1: as an attempted rebuke. This actually seems fitting, however, since 269 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:27,840 Speaker 1: he did not have the longest or most productive rain 270 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:31,439 Speaker 1: as pope, and in my mind, calling him Gerbert feels 271 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 1: truer to his larger identity and legacy. So if you 272 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:39,040 Speaker 1: thought that I was doing it as some larger political statement, 273 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:44,280 Speaker 1: not really. In addition to helping to revolutionize the fields 274 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:48,440 Speaker 1: of math and astronomy in Christian Europe, much of Gerbert's 275 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:52,800 Speaker 1: lasting impact was as a teacher, since he instructed many 276 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:56,959 Speaker 1: clergymen who went on to make important scientific discoveries and 277 00:23:57,119 --> 00:24:02,920 Speaker 1: contributions of their own. In more recent history, numerous mathematicians 278 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:08,400 Speaker 1: and mathematical societies have honored Gerbert, and, especially during spikes 279 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:14,480 Speaker 1: of widespread Islamophobia, praised his tolerant, collaborative nature and appreciation 280 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:20,040 Speaker 1: for the work of Muslim intellectuals. Likewise, modern popes and 281 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:24,639 Speaker 1: religious figures have lauded Gerbert's contributions as a scientist and 282 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:28,800 Speaker 1: man of God, and in spite of all its supposed 283 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 1: sweating and rattling, Gerbert's preserved tombstone still hangs in the 284 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:40,399 Speaker 1: latterin church. Gerbert's likeness has also lived on, since he 285 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 1: has been commemorated with everything from statues to frescoes to 286 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:50,879 Speaker 1: postage stamps. The renowned scientist pope also inspired many works 287 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:55,600 Speaker 1: of non fiction and fiction, including serving as a scheming 288 00:24:55,760 --> 00:25:02,080 Speaker 1: antagonist in Deborah Harkness's Discovery of Witches book and TV series. 289 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: Although Gerbert's life was harshly maligned for long periods, to 290 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:12,639 Speaker 1: some degree the vilifying legends may still have helped to 291 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:18,439 Speaker 1: spread his principles and immortalize his persona On a basic level. 292 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:23,440 Speaker 1: The myths obviously provide an enticing entry point for those 293 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:27,600 Speaker 1: unfamiliar with his life and work. In a broader and 294 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:32,639 Speaker 1: more ironic way, we may actually have Gerbert's detractors to 295 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 1: think for the fact that historians are able to analyze 296 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 1: and credit many of his accomplishments. This is because in 297 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:45,439 Speaker 1: fearing that many rivals might try to discredit him, the 298 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 1: forward thinking Gerbert intentionally preserved many of his letters in 299 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:56,720 Speaker 1: the hopes of defending himself and his ideas. Fascinatingly, according 300 00:25:56,720 --> 00:26:01,640 Speaker 1: to modern scholarship, even the heightened myths told about Gerbert 301 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:07,720 Speaker 1: showcase a clear progression of scientific understanding and acceptance. For instance, 302 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:12,879 Speaker 1: William of Malmesbury's account of Gerbert's life delineates knowledge seen 303 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:18,919 Speaker 1: as permissible and as impermissible. He claims that in Muslim Spain, 304 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: Gerbert learned the impermissible skills of necromancy and animal augury, 305 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:31,919 Speaker 1: like seeing omens in bird's flight patterns. But William asserted 306 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:36,640 Speaker 1: that Gerbert was specifically able to make his talking head 307 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:43,120 Speaker 1: statue using knowledge gained by studying heavenly bodies. In his view, 308 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: celestial divination was permissible since astronomy was part of the 309 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:55,880 Speaker 1: accepted quadrivium. In other words, William condemned Gerbert for learning 310 00:26:56,080 --> 00:27:00,480 Speaker 1: dark arts in Spain, but as opposed to earlier Detroy dictors, 311 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:06,320 Speaker 1: he explained that Gerbert's predictive abilities via magic statue head 312 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:12,160 Speaker 1: came from a more acceptable astral science rather than demonic magic, 313 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:17,720 Speaker 1: whether that was intentional on William's part or not, that's 314 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 1: some progress. Accounts like that helped to further validate astronomy 315 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:27,960 Speaker 1: in Latin Europe, thus setting the stage for subsequent breakthroughs 316 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:33,360 Speaker 1: by the likes of Copernicus and Galileo. Arguably, the lengthy 317 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:38,360 Speaker 1: fixation with Gerbert's prophetic head also stands out as an 318 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:45,920 Speaker 1: intriguing example of humanity's fascination with artificial intelligence. Although posthumous 319 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:51,760 Speaker 1: portrayals of Gerbert's clearly got absurd, Perhaps if the renowned 320 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:56,080 Speaker 1: scientist had been able to gain knowledge of the future, 321 00:27:56,560 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: he would have been amused to know he would become 322 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:03,840 Speaker 1: a sub object of science fiction, hundreds of years before 323 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:08,720 Speaker 1: that term was widely used. Ultimately, the Catholic world may 324 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:13,640 Speaker 1: never again see a scientist pope quite like Sylvester the Second, 325 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,480 Speaker 1: and the science world may never again see a religious 326 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:23,600 Speaker 1: mathematician of Gerbert's ilk. Funnily enough, while many bitterly equated 327 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:29,440 Speaker 1: Gerbert's singular success with devilish deal making, a closer look 328 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:32,879 Speaker 1: at his life reveals how much of his true power 329 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:38,920 Speaker 1: came from his knack for collaborating and for sharing and inspiring. 330 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:45,080 Speaker 1: From peasant to polymath to pope, the math obsessed Gerbert 331 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:53,080 Speaker 1: of Aurlac never stopped finding strength in numbers. That's the 332 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:56,600 Speaker 1: story of Gerbert, but stick around after a brief sponsor 333 00:28:56,680 --> 00:29:00,400 Speaker 1: break to hear another reason why any assumption that the 334 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 1: famed mathematician lived in a total dark age doesn't add 335 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:18,800 Speaker 1: up when recalling milestones that tested a society's ability to 336 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:23,920 Speaker 1: balance logic and superstition. Hy two K was a pretty 337 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:27,800 Speaker 1: memorable one. The approach of the year two thousand prompted 338 00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:33,560 Speaker 1: fears about widespread computer errors and infrastructure issues, as well 339 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:38,120 Speaker 1: as conspiracy theories and end of the world predictions. The 340 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:43,920 Speaker 1: digital element of the millennial transition was new, the prognosticating 341 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:50,040 Speaker 1: was not. Why one K saw plenty of similar panic, 342 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:54,560 Speaker 1: or at least that's the narrative that many later writers pushed, 343 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:59,120 Speaker 1: often trying to paint prior eras as more primitive and 344 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:03,600 Speaker 1: ignorant than their own. Again, the accounts of many who 345 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:06,160 Speaker 1: were alive in the lead up to the year one 346 00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:11,160 Speaker 1: thousand tells a more nuanced tale. There was still fear mongering. 347 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 1: One tenth century chronicler documented supposed signs of the nearing 348 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 1: apocalypse that included quote rains of blood wolves in churches 349 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:27,520 Speaker 1: and unusually large whales. But the Christian world was not 350 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:32,640 Speaker 1: entirely gripped by existential terror. For one thing, the Anno 351 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:38,720 Speaker 1: Domini dating system was not yet universally accepted among record keepers, 352 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:43,520 Speaker 1: which muddled rumors that the world would end one thousand 353 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:47,160 Speaker 1: years after the birth of Jesus Christ. For another thing, 354 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:52,480 Speaker 1: those who were following the ad calendar system and feeling 355 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 1: a wee bit anxious, they had a practical minded religious 356 00:30:57,040 --> 00:31:02,120 Speaker 1: leader to turn to. As a pope and scientist, Gerbert 357 00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:06,000 Speaker 1: was uniquely positioned to be a calm voice of reason, 358 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:11,760 Speaker 1: and judging by many accounts, he was so. Perhaps the 359 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 1: modern and enlightened, yet occasionally angsty folks are not so 360 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:22,120 Speaker 1: different from our millennia crossing counterparts, or at least those 361 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:33,240 Speaker 1: who paid attention to their mathematician pope. Nobel Blood is 362 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:37,640 Speaker 1: a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. 363 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:42,120 Speaker 1: Noble Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional 364 00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:46,840 Speaker 1: writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannaswick, Courtney Sender, Amy 365 00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:51,040 Speaker 1: Hit and Julia Milaney. The show is edited and produced 366 00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:56,240 Speaker 1: by Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima il KLi and 367 00:31:56,400 --> 00:32:00,880 Speaker 1: executive producers Aaron Mankey, Trevor Young, and Matt Fret. For 368 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:06,520 Speaker 1: more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 369 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:08,719 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.