Galileo Figaro Magnifico

   All the wrath that Copernicus managed to avoid from the church, Galileo Galilei managed to get full bore.

Galileo Galilei, Astrophysicist, Devout Catholic,  and Awesome Beard Owner. Shown here presumably staring down the inquisition. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

   Galileo was born February 15, 1564, 21 years after the death of Copernicus, in Pisa, and he is perhaps the seminal example of the church clashing with a physicist and mathematician. Galileo was the son of musician, and received much of his formative education in a monastery in Vallombrosa (part of Florence), and subsequently at the University of Pisa. he was taught the traditional catholic supported ideas of motion and celestial bodies, which he upheld for a while. However, because of a few financial difficulties he was forced to take a minor teaching position at the University of Pisa, where he published his Du Motu, a work on the mechanics of motion and falling (the famous examples being a dropped object retains its original velocity, and objects of differing mass fall at the same rate). This would be his first departure from the classic Aristotelian views.  

   It wasn't long before his discoveries came into conflict with his Aristotle and Catholic Church tinted views. He immediately jumped ship to Copernicus's viewpoint, declaring the earth goes around the sun, not the other way around. This was still a contentious issue for the Catholic Church. 

   In his desire to vindicate himself and push the boundaries of the science of that day he learned of the primitive magnifying glass objects that existed in Europe, and created the first modern telescope. In another audacious move, he turned it towards the heavens, and began to study whatever he could see (which was far more than any other European of the time thought possible). He studied the moon, sunspots, phases of Venus  and even managed to discover four satellites of Jupiter, a leap in discovery that would have done the likes of Einstein and Bohr proud. in 1613 he wrote a student of hi saying in essence that the bible was flawed on the Aristotle's view of the universe, because it was an earthly document and his scientific observations and body of evidence for Copernicus's view was more accurate. 

   By 1616 the letter had gone public, the Inquisition had jumped, and declared the Copernican view heresy, and instructed Galileo to keep silent on his views and quit teaching them. Galileo managed to do so for seven years, partly to make his life easier, mostly because at heart he was still catholic. 1623 saw a friend of Galileo's be elected Pope Urban VIII, who encouraged Galileo to continue research and teaching astronomy, so long as he did not advocate the Copernican view of heliocentrism. Galileo (rolling his eyes, I can only assume) proceeded to do his best to stay within the contradictory guidelines set forth for him, published a "neutral" document, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, in 1632. He put forth the arguments governing the debate of Copernicanism, making Aristotle's view seem idiotic. 

   The church, and in particular the Inquisition was none too pleased.

   Galileo was summoned to Rome before the Inquisition (a Church body tasked with seeking out and punishing heresy, for those who don't know), where they proceeded to threaten him with all the thunderbolts and lightning and very, very frightening they could summon up. The hearings lasted nearly a year before the threat of torture made Galileo admit that he support a heliocentric view. The year was 1633, and he was convicted of heresy and sentenced to house arrest, where he died blind and ill in 1642. He continued to publish his views, works, and theories until the day he died. 

   The church however couldn't se to withstand the sort of scientific onslaught brought on by Galileo. 1758 saw a lift on the ban of heliocentric scientific works, and 1835 saw the removal of all opposition to heliocentrism. by 1992, the pope expressed regret on how Galileo was treated.

Taken From:
1. http://www.biography.com/people/galileo-9305220
2.http://galileo.rice.edu/bio/tov.html