Born on February 15, 1564 in Pisa, Italy, Galileo was the first child of Vincenzo Galilei and Guilia Ammannati. Galileo started his education at the Camaldolese Monastery at Vallambrosa when he and his family moved to Florence in 1574. He attended at the University of Pisa to study medicine, but he had to leave before he got his degree due to financial difficulties. By pulling some strings, Galileo became …show more content…
The telescope is an invention made by a Dutch eyeglass maker, Hans Lippershey, which could magnify objects. Galileo made his own telescope with improved magnification. He decided to turn his telescope up toward the heavens. A year after, he published a small booklet entitled “Starry Messenger” which was about the discoveries he found with his telescope. Most of Galileo’s findings were contradicting Aristotle and the Church’s doctrine.
In 1611, Galileo went to Rome to demonstrate his telescope. After having been accepted at Rome, Galileo wrote letters to formally take his position in favor of the heliocentric theory. The letters were publicized and the Church, influenced by the Aristotelian Scholars, proclaimed that Galileo was contradicting scriptures and the Copernican theory was a heresy. The Catholic Church ordered Galileo to refrain from holding, teaching or defending his doctrines. Galileo obeyed this for seven years because he was a Catholic, and also to make his life a bit at