Person: Tunstall, Cuthbert

Cuthbert Tunstall wrote the first printed work published in England devoted exclusively to mathematics.

Cuthbert was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, which he entered in 1491, but it is recorded that left because of the plague.
Although the length of Cuthbert's time in Oxford is in some doubt, there is no doubt in the fact that he left both Oxford and Cambridge without taking a degree.
Between 1499 and 1505 Tunstall studied Canon and Roman law at Padua.
Near the end of his time in Italy, in 1505, Tunstall visited Rome.
Archbishop William Warham had recognised his talents in 1509 and arranged a number of positions for Tunstall which brought him to the attention of the court of Henry VIII.
Continuing his diplomatic role Tunstall was ambassador to the court of Charles V and went with him to Aachen in October 1520 where he was crowned king of Germany in Aachen, assuming at the same time the title of Roman emperor-elect.
In the spring of 1521 the imperial Diet assembled at Worms and Tunstall was again present along with Charles.
After returning to England, Tunstall became Bishop of London in 1522.
Reinstated the following year by Mary Tudor, Tunstall was deprived again in 1559 after refusing to swear the oath of supremacy under Elizabeth.

Born 1474, Hackforth, Yorkshire, England. Died 18 December 1559, Lambeth, London, England.

View full biography at MacTutor

Origin England

Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0!

O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive