1232-1316

This Spanish polymath and philosopher was converted by his wife from a courtly way of life to a religious one. He established colleges for the study of Arabic, Hebrew, and other languages, to oppose "the infidel." He wrote at least 292 works in various languages, including mystical works, poetry, allegorical novels, and works on theology, philosophy, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, astrology, grammar, rhetoric, logic, law, and medicine. His attempts to unify all knowledge into a single system influenced a number of later thinkers.