During the Middle Ages, there were several thinkers and scholars who faced persecution and, in some cases, were killed due to their controversial ideas or challenges to established authorities. Here are 10 thinkers from that time period who faced persecution or were executed:
- Hypatia of Alexandria (c. 350–415): Hypatia was a prominent Greek mathematician, philosopher, and astronomer. She was brutally murdered by a mob of Christian zealots who accused her of promoting paganism.
- Giordano Bruno (1548–1600): Bruno, an Italian philosopher, mathematician, and cosmologist, was burned at the stake by the Roman Inquisition for his unorthodox ideas, including his support for the Copernican heliocentric model and his belief in an infinite universe with multiple inhabited worlds.
- Joan of Arc (1412–1431): While not a thinker in the traditional sense, Joan of Arc was a young French military leader and visionary who was condemned and burned at the stake for heresy by a church court.
- William Tyndale (1494–1536): Tyndale was an English scholar and theologian who translated the Bible into English. He was arrested, convicted of heresy, and executed for his efforts to make the Bible more accessible to the common people.
- Jan Hus (c. 1369–1415): Hus, a Czech theologian and reformer, was declared a heretic and burned at the stake for his criticism of the Roman Catholic Church and his calls for church reform.
- Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274): Aquinas, a prominent Catholic theologian and philosopher, faced opposition during his lifetime, but he died of natural causes. However, some of his writings were later condemned as heretical by the Church.
- Michael Servetus (1511–1553): Servetus, a Spanish physician and theologian, was burned at the stake for his nontrinitarian views and his rejection of infant baptism.
- Peter Abelard (1079–1142): Abelard, a French philosopher, theologian, and logician, was condemned for his controversial views on theology and ethics. Although he was not executed, he was forced to recant his beliefs.
- Gerbert of Aurillac (946–1003): Gerbert, later known as Pope Sylvester II, faced accusations of sorcery and demonic practices due to his knowledge of mathematics and astronomy. While he became pope, he faced significant opposition during his lifetime.
- Jacques de Molay (c. 1240–1314): de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was burned at the stake by the Inquisition after being convicted of heresy and other charges.
It is important to note that the circumstances surrounding the deaths of these individuals varied, and their ideas and contributions to intellectual thought had lasting impacts despite the persecution they faced.