In December 1566, a nineteen-year-old student named Tycho Brahe quarreled with his third cousin, Manderup Parsberg, at an engagement party in Rostock, Germany. The argument was about a mathematical formula, and both men were drunk. Neither would give way. Nineteen days later, at 7:00 on the evening of December 29, they met with swords in almost total darkness. Parsberg's blade sliced across Tycho's forehead and cut away the bridge of his nose. It was the kind of wound that could have ended a young man's prospects. Instead it left him with a scar, a false nose, and a reputation. The two cousins later made peace and stayed friends for life. Tycho went on to become the most precise star observer of his age. And when he died thirty-five years later, people argued for four centuries about what had killed him.
Tycho Brahe's Metal Nose and Mysterious Death
Tycho Brahe lost his nose in a 1566 duel and wore a brass one, and in 2012 tests ruled out the rumor that he was poisoned.
A Duel in the Dark
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Tycho Brahe lose his nose?
He lost the bridge of his nose in a sword duel on December 29, 1566, in Rostock, Germany. His opponent was his third cousin, Manderup Parsberg. The quarrel began as a drunken argument over a mathematical formula nineteen days earlier.
What was Tycho Brahe's false nose made of?
It was made of brass, not gold or silver as legend claimed. Green stains in his exhumed skull held equal parts copper and zinc, the signature of brass. Archaeologist Jens Vellev reported the finding in November 2012.
Was Tycho Brahe murdered with mercury?
No. Tests of his hair and bones found mercury levels within normal ranges, even falling toward the low end of normal in his last two weeks. The research team concluded he most likely died of uremia, a toxic buildup of waste in the blood from kidney failure or a blocked bladder.
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