c.1240

Arnau de Vilanova is born, probably in Valencia.

Arnau Sant Pau

 

 

 
c.1260-1270 He studies medicine in Montpellier. He himself recounted that he studied theology for a semester in a Dominican monastery.
1276-1281 Master Arnau, his wife, Agnès Blasi, and his daughter, Maria, live in Valencia.
1281-1286  He is King Peter’s physician. In Barcelona, he studies with Ramon Martí. He translates Galen’s De rigore (1282) and maybe other medical works from Arabic to Latin. Between 1276 and 1288, he writes De reprobacione nigromantice ficcionis, which he dedicates to Jaspert, the Bishop of Valencia. He had previously written De amore heroico.
1287 In July, he attends the peace talks in Oloron (Gascony) between Alphonse II of Aragon and Charles of Naples under the mediation of Edward I of England as the “physician to the bishop of Valencia,” Jaspert.
1286-1291 Arnau goes back to Valencia to live. His daughter becomes a Dominican nun.
1290-1300  During these years (approximately), master Arnau is a professor of medicine in Montpellier. In parallel to his teaching, he writes a series of medical works, perhaps in this chronological order:De intentione medicorum, the comentary of Galen’s De malitia complexionis diversae, De dosi tyriacalium, De considerationibus operis medicinae, Aphorismi de gradibus, De humido radicali, De interioribus (summarized from Galen, 1300), Medicationis parabolae, that dedicates to Philip the Fair, king of France (1300), Repetitio super canone Vita brevis (before 1301). Might be related to this stage Tabula super Vita brevis (by Hippocrates, just like the previous work), Commentum super quasdam parabolas, Aphorismi particulares, Aphorismi de memoria, Aphorismi extravagantes.
c.1292   He writes his first theological works: Introductio in librum Ioachim de semine Scripturarum and Allocutio super significatione nominis tetragrammaton.
1295-1297 Alphabetum catholicorum sive elementis catholicae fidei (dedicated to King Jaume) and Tractatus de prudentia catholicorum scolarium.
1297 Master Arnau became the royal physician to Jaume II, a post which he combines with teaching in Montpellier. Even though we have no proof of when he begins to care for the king, we have documentation showing that in 1297 he cared for his wife, Blanca, and many of his children in the ensuing years. Over time, Arnau would also become the king’s counsellor and would undertake several diplomatic missions. Illustration: Arnau de Vilanova, Eusebi Arnau’s sculpture(1905-1911), Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona (Source: Wikimedia).
1299-1305 Eschatological controversy over the possibility and wisdom of knowing the time of the Antichrist and the end of the world between Arnau de Vilanova and the theologians of Paris (1299/1300), the Dominicans Bernat de Puigcercós (Girona, 1302-1303), Joan Vigorós (Marseille, 1304) and Martín de Ateca (Barcelona, 1304-1305). The ensuing Arnaldian works are related more or less directly to this controversy:Tractatus de tempore adventus Antichristi (1299-1300), Tractatus de mysterio cymbalorum ecclesiae (summer of 1301), Apologia de versutiis atque perversitatibus pseudotheologorum et religiosorum (darreries de 1302), Eulogium de notitia verorum et pseudoapostolorum (end of 1302 or beginning of 1303), Confessio Ilerdensis de spurcitiis pseudoreligiosorum (c. 1303), Gladius iugulans thomatistas (February 1304), Carpinatio poetriae theologi deviantis (March 1304), Antidotum contra venenum effusum per fratrem Martinum de Atheca, praedicatorem (between the end of 1304 and summer of 1305) and Confessió de Barcelona. Other works of this period are: Philosophia catholica et divina (summer of 1302), Allocutio christini de hiis quae conveniunt homini secundum propriam dignitatem creaturae rationalis (written between 1304 i 1305, dedicated to Frederic of Sicily), De esu carnium (1304?), Dancia Jacobi II cum commento Arnaldi de Villanova (c. 1305).
1301 Arnau goes to the papal court in Agnani to defend himself against the attacks by the Parisian theologians before Pope Boniface VIII, who exhorts him not to write on theology, although he was very satisfied with the medical care he received from Arnau.
1305 Mater Arnau makes his will in Barcelona (on the 20th of July)..  
1305 The Inquisitor of Valencia, Guillem de Cotlliure, excommunicates Gombau de Piles for owning books by Arnau. Jaume II declares that he and his family also owns and reads Arnau’s books.
1306-1311 New stage in his medical writings, perhaps once again in Montpellier, with some of his most prominent works: the Regimen sanitatis ad regem Aragonum (1305-1308) and theSpeculum medicinae (c. 1308). Others remained incomplete upon his death, such as Pars operativa. But he spends most of his time travelling around the courts of Europe. In theology, he writes Epistolam ad gerentes zonam pelliceam (between the autumn of 1307 and April 1309), Lliçó de Narbona (between 1305 and 1308), Epistola ad priorissam de caritate (between 1305 and 1308), De helemosina et sacrificio (1309-1310), Per ciò che molti (c. 1310), Alia informatio beguinorum (after the spring of 1310), De humilitate et patientia Iesu Christi.
1308 Master Arnau takes part in the Templar affair. He adds a codicil to his will. In Marseille, he welcomes monks from Mont Athos who ask him to convey to the king their requests to protect the monasteries in the zone from the Almogavers. Jaume II agrees.
1309 Arnau interprets the dreams of Frederick of Sicily and Jaume II in the Interpretatio de visionibus in somniis dominorum Iacobi secundi regis Aragonum et Friderici tertii regis Siciliae eius fratris. In Avignon, Master Arnau proposes to the top church authorities a plan to reform Christianity led by Jaume and Frederick. In Narbonne, Arnau enters into contact with the spiritual Franciscans.
1309 Clement V, whose physician is Arnau, reforms the curricula at the Faculty of Medicine of Montpellier with his counsel.
1310 Master Arnau travels to Almeria (a city under siege by Jaume II) to provide the king with explanations of some statements he made before the pope in Avignon which might compromise Jaume II’s reputation. He then reads the Raonament d’Avinyó, the very free Catalan version of the Latin statements in Avignon. When the king is able to compare the Catalan text with the Latin original, he mistrusts Arnau’s intentions and severs their friendship. Arnau goes to Almeria with a work written purposefully for the besieging army: The Regimen Almariae (De regimine castra sequentium).
1310 Arnau travels to Sicily, where he is friends with King Frederick, and he devotes the Informació espiritual to him. The Constitutiones Regni Trinacriae re inspired by Arnaldian ideas..
1311 Arnau de Vilanova dies off the coast of Genoa on a sea journey.
1312 Clement V issues a decree that he be given a book on medical practice that Arnau had promised him under the threat of excommunication.
1314 A ruling from Tarragona dated 1316 condemns numerous of Arnau’s theses.