"Looking at the world on two sheets of paper" : the image of the orb and mathematics in the education of prince Philip III / Margarita Vázquez-Manassero

This paper aims to analyze an aspect of the courtly education of Prince Philip III on which historiography has put scarce emphasis: the role played by mathematics and other disciplines which, in the late sixteenth century, were linked to, namely, arithmetic, geometry and cosmography, the study of which required a knowledge of drawing and the depiction of the world as essential skills. The analysis has primarily been articulated around the study of those tutors in charge of the Prince’s scientific education. His preceptor, García de Loaysa, reveals himself as a humanist, whose profile highlights his erudition in science. Moreover, the future Philip III had an illustrious mathematics tutor, Juan Bautista Labaña, and a geometry tutor, Jehan Lhermite. The Prince built a close relationship with both men that lasted until the twilight of his days. These facts clearly show that the knowledge about the learning stage of Prince Philip III and his interests towards scientific disciplines becomes essential for a better understanding of his future reign.