Magnitsky, Leonty Filippovich

Born in the Ostashkovskaya patriarchal settlement .

According to one version, he was the son of a peasant Philip Telyashin. From a young age, he worked with his father on arable land, independently learning to read and write, and was a passionate hunter to read and disassemble the tricky and difficult.

According to another version, he was the native nephew of Archimandrite Nectarius, the organizer of the Nile Desert near Ostashkov of the Tver province and therefore had access to church books.

In 1684 he was sent to the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery as a cart driver for delivering fish to monks. He struck the monks with his literacy and intelligence, left at the monastery as a reader . Then transferred to the Moscow Simon Monastery . The monastic authorities decided to prepare an outstanding young man for clergy.

In 1685 - 1694, he studied at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy . Mathematics was not taught there. Apparently, he acquired his mathematical knowledge through independent study.

Leonty Filippovich's knowledge of mathematics surprised many. At the meeting he made a very strong impression on Tsar Peter I with outstanding intellectual development and vast knowledge. As a sign of respect and appreciation, Peter I “granted” his last name Magnitsky "in comparing how a magnet attracts iron to itself, it draws attention to itself by its natural and self-educated abilities."

In 1694 - 1701, Magnitsky lives in Moscow, educates children in private homes and is engaged in self-education.

In 1701, by order of Peter I, he was appointed a teacher in the school of “mathematical and navigational, that is, seafaring science of cunning science,” located in the building of the Sukharev Tower . He began working as an assistant to the teacher of mathematics - Andrei Farvarson , and then - a teacher of arithmetic and, in all likelihood, geometry and trigonometry ; he was instructed to write a textbook in mathematics and ship navigation.

Record of the Armory :

On February 1, 1701, Ostashkov’s Leonti Magnitsky, who was ordered to publish the book of arithmetic through his work in Slovenian dialect, was taken to the Armory of the Armory on February 1, 1701. And he wants to have with him the assistance of the kadashets Vasily Kiprianov for the sake of a quick release of the book of commission. About which he admitted that he has knowledge in some sciences and hunting. According to which, by his command, his great sovereign, he, Vasily, was also taken to Armory on February 16 at the 16th day and, through teachers of mathematical schools, was testified to art in the aforementioned sciences. And according to the testimony of him, the great sovereign, he was ordered by the decree in the Armory of his great sovereign, and he was ordered to speed up the publication of that book in which he could repair the assistance, in which he worked according to the book.

From a letter of 1703, Alexey Alexandrovich Kurbatov , which was in charge of the school to Fedor Alekseevich Golovin : ^[1]

By July 16, 200 people were tidied up and studying. The British teach them that science in an official way, and when they take time out and, as usual, often and overslept for a long time. We have, by the order of your mercy, defined by him as contributor Leonty Magnitskago, who constantly happens at that school, and always has a care not only for one student in science to please, but also for other good behavior, in which those Englishmen, seeing him in schools management is not the last, they obligated themselves to him, Leontius, with hate, so he already asked Leonty, from their frequent anger at him from school, to free himself, however, I, knowing that he wasn’t free to be free from school for the sake of anger, ordered they tell him about all kinds of things l before the arrival of your mercy to me, and I, observing what he brings about the perfect order, called them to the ward and myself often going to them, I say; and the case of them I admitted to one Andrei Farvarson, and although the two were written navigators, they did not reach Leonty with science.

In 1703, Magnitsky compiled Russia's first educational encyclopedia in mathematics under the heading "Arithmetic, or science, numeric from different dialects into Slavic, translated and unified, and divided into two books" with a circulation of 2,400 copies. As a textbook, this book has been used in schools for more than half a century due to scientific, methodological and literary advantages.

In 1704, the nobility was granted to Magnitsky by royal decree. Peter I was especially located to Leonty Filippovich, granted him villages in the Vladimir and Tambov provinces, ordered him to build a house on the Lubyanka, and awarded him “Saxon caftan” and other clothes for “unceasing and diligent work in teaching schools”.

In 1714, Magnitsky was commissioned to recruit teachers for digital schools.

In 1715, the Naval Academy was opened in St. Petersburg, where military science training was transferred, and in the Moscow Navigat school they began to teach only arithmetic, geometry and trigonometry. From this moment Magnitsky becomes the senior teacher of the school and supervises its educational part.

From 1732 until the last days of his life, L.F. Magnitsky was the head of the Navigat school.

He died in Moscow in October 1739 at the age of 70.

He was buried in Moscow in the church of the Grebnevskaya Icon of the Mother of God at the Nikolsky Gate (in 1927 the church was dismantled).

Languages

• Latin language
• Greek language
• French

(taught at the academy)

• German
• Dutch Language
• Italian language

(studied independently)

Knowledge of Science

• Maths
• Astronomy
• Geodesy
• Navigation

(“I learned the sciences in a wonderful and unbelievable way”, not one was taught at the academy)

Mathematical terms that he first introduced into Russian

• Factor
• Divider
• Composition
• Root extraction
• Million
• Billion
• Trillion
• Quadrillion
• Denominator
• Fraction

• V.K. Trediakovsky (1703-1769) the Russian poet, philologist, apparently personally knew Magnitsky wrote:
  • “Magnitsky Leonty is a husband, knowledgeable of the Slavic language, a conscientious and ungodly person, the first Russian arithmetic and geometer; the first publisher and teacher of arithmetic and geometry in Russia. ”
  • “Existing Christ, a good-natured Man, and no less flattery than him” ^[2]

• MV Lomonosov (1711-1765) called the “Arithmetic” of Leonty Magnitsky and the “Grammar” of Meletius Smotrytsky “the gates of his scholarship”.

• Admiral V. Ya. Chichagov (1726-1809) - “One of the teachers, Magnitsky, was known for the great mathematician. He published ... an essay in my hands, which consisted of arithmetic, geometry, trigonometry and the beginnings of algebra. Subsequently, this book was recognized as a model of scholarship. "

• V. V. Bobynin “It is hardly possible to find another composition in Russian physical and mathematical literature with the same historical significance as Magnitsky's Arithmetic.” ^[3]

• Professor P. N. Berkov (1896–1969) calls “Arithmetic” “one of the most important phenomena in the printing activity of the Petrine time”.

• “Tables of logarithms and sines, tangents and secans” (M., 1703 )
• "Drawings and calculations for the construction plan of the earthman bastion of the city of Velikiye Luki " ( 1704 )
• "Tables horizontal sowing. and south. latitude. Sun ascents, with an expression: through which it is conveniently convenient, besides difficult arithmetic calculus, incorrect or indiscriminate indication of compasses is found even in all places of the world, it is easy and easy to find it useful to help those who are in east. and app. India is marooned. Translated from Dutch into the Slavic-Russian dialect from the book of Schatz Chambers, printed in Amsterdam, 1697 and others. By the farewell of the teachers Andrei Farvarson da Leonty M., summer from the Incarnation of Christ 1722. From the librarian Vasily Kipriyanov ”( 1722 )
• “Note” (in the case of the heresy of the doctor Tveritinov). Published in 1883 by the Society of Ancient Writers.

May 27, 1932 during the construction of the first line of the Moscow metro at a depth of one meter, a slab of strong limestone was discovered , on the back of which was finely knocked out “epitaph” ^{[4] of the} tombstone of L. F. Magnitsky, written by his son Ivan (its text was published in 1836 in the newspaper Moskovskiye Vedomosti ^[4] , is abridged here):

In eternal memory, the Christian, pious, chaste, virtuous and virtuous, who lived Leonty Filippovich Magnitsky, the first teacher of mathematics in Russia, buried here, (...) who began the path of his temporary and deplorable life on June 9, 1669, was studied by the wondrous and unlikely in a way (...) and from His Majesty, at the discretion of morals to everyone who is most pleasant and attracting himself, he was granted the nickname Magnitsky and was instituted to a noble Russian youth by a mathematics teacher in whom the title is zealously, truly, honestly, all serving the four autocrats all-Russian diligently and immaculately and having lived in the world for 70 years, 4 months and 10 days, 1739, October 19th day, about midnight at 1 o'clock, leaving the example of life left by his virtuous life and pious Christian demise, ( ...)

To the reposed, fulfilling mutual Christian love, we will pray diligently (...)

Out of office, he inscribed, with his own hand, on a stone, this bitter-tearful and heartbroken slain Ivan, the lowest slave, his son is kind.

The next day, a tomb was discovered under a slab-monument at a depth of four meters. It was laid out of good brick and covered with lime on all sides. There was an oak deck in the grave, in it lay the unscathed skeleton of Leonty Filippovich with some covers preserved on it, under the head was a glass inkstand , which had the shape of a lamp, and next to it lay a half-decayed goose feather .

Along with the tomb of Leonty Filippovich was the tomb of Maria Gavrilovna Magnitskaya , his wife, where an inscription was carved on a stone announcing her sudden death when she unexpectedly met her son, whom she considered dead.

According to ^{[5] the} director of the Verkhnevolzhsky Seliger Heritage Educational Center named after L. F. Magnitsky at the Nilo-Stolobenskaya Desert Monastery, monk John (Zakharov), Magnitsky’s grave was devastated during the demolition of the church of the Grebnevskaya Icon of the Mother of God ^[6] in Moscow . But the unknown saved part of the remains and handed them over to the relatives of the mathematician. Now the remains of Magnitsky are in the Nilo-Stolobensky desert . In 2011, the monastery intended to rebury them. A plate with an epitaph written by his son, Ivan Magnitsky, will again be put on the grave of Leonty Magnitsky.

1. Galanin D. D. "Magnitsky and his arithmetic" 2nd edition . Moscow, 1914.
2. The journal "Physics and mathematics in their present and past", vol. VII, p. 205-210 and 267-308, and so VIII, p. 28–47 and 106–145.
3. Shikman A.P. Figures of Russian History. Biographical reference. Moscow, 1997
4. Magnitsky Leonty Filippovich // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
5. Kameneva T. N. On the history of the publication "Arithmetic" Magnitsky // Book. Research and materials. 1984. - Sat 48. - S. 72-82.
6. Zyablitsky V.V. , Balashova K.A. Leonty Filippovich Magnitsky (300 years old). Kalinin: Kalinin city branch of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Monuments of History and Culture, Kalinin Regional Library named after A.M. Gorky, 1969.
7. Andronov I.K. The first teacher of mathematics of the Russian youth Leonty Filippovich Magnitsky // Mathematics at school. 1969. No. 6.
8. Gnedenko B.V., Pogrebysky I. B. Leonty Magnitsky and his “Arithmetic” // Mathematics at school. 1969. No. 6.
9. Savvina O.A. Spiritual and moral potential of the first Russian textbook of mathematics // International Scientific Herald. 2016. No. 4. P. 50-54. [one]

•   Wikimedia Commons has media files related to Leonty Magnitsky
• Magnitsky L.F. History. Hypertext. For students and teachers.
• Magnitsky L. F. People.ru
• Magnitsky L. F. Electronic Explanatory Dictionaries
• Magnitsky arithmetic on the site " Mathematical Studies "
• Magnitsky L.F .: Books and photos of the monument in Ostashkov