Sophia Brahe

Sophia (or Sophie) Thott Lange (; 24 August 1559 or 22 September 1556 – 1643), known by her maiden name, was a Danish noblewoman and horticulturalist with knowledge of astronomy, chemistry, and medicine. She worked alongside her brother Tycho Brahe in making astronomical observations. Life She was born in Knudstrup Castle, Denmark as the youngest of ten children, to Otte Brahe, the rigsråd, or advisor, to the King of Denmark; and Beate Bille Brahe, leader of the royal household for Queen Sophie. Sophia's oldest brother was astronomer Tycho Brahe. Though he was both more than a decade her senior and raised in a separate household, the pair became quite close by the time Sophia was a teenager. The brother and sister were united by their work in science, and by their family's opposition to science as an appropriate activity for members of the aristocracy. They both desired a life filled with science and knowledge instead of the duties of a noble person. She married Otto Thott in 1579, when he was 33 and she was at least twenty, though possibly older. They had one child before he died on 23 March 1588. Their son was , born in 1580. Upon her husband's death, Sophie Thott managed his property in Eriksholm (today Trolleholm Castle), running the estate to keep it profitable until her son came of age. During this time, she also became a horticulturalist, in addition to her studies in chemistry and medicine. The gardens she created in Eriksholm were said to be exceptional. Sophie was particularly interested in studying chemistry and medicine according to Paracelsus, in which small doses of poison might serve as strong medicines, and used her skills to treat the local poor. Sophie enjoyed the partial freedom she was allowed in the medical field. However, women were often not entitled to receive a college degree, the lack of which prevented her from practicing medicine as a legitimate physician. Similarly, she was devoted to the study of astrology and helped her brother with producing horoscopes. On 21 July 1587, King Frederick II of Denmark signed a document transferring to Sophia Brahe title of Årup farm in what is now Sweden (Svensson, et al.).