Girolamo Cardano

Timeline

1. 1501–1526Pavia · LombardyCardano was born in Pavia and endured a difficult early life due to family misfortune. In the 1520s he studied medicine at the University of Pavia while teaching himself mathematics, gradually earning a living through medicine and mathematical skill, laying the groundwork for his later practice and writing in Milan and elsewhere.
2. 1526–1545Milan · LombardyAfter 1526 he practiced medicine in Milan, treating plague and common diseases, and his reputation grew. During the same period he studied algebra and mechanics, publishing Ars Magna in 1545, which gave a general solution of cubic equations and discussed imaginary numbers, a landmark in the history of algebra.
3. 1551–1560Bologna · Emilia-RomagnaIn 1550 he was appointed professor of medicine at the University of Bologna. Between 1551 and 1560 he continued publishing medical, natural-philosophical, and autobiographical works, exploring probability, astrology, and mechanics, reaching the height of his scholarly reputation and regarded as one of the most comprehensive scholars of the late Italian Renaissance.
4. 1560–1576Rome · LazioIn 1560 he was investigated by the Inquisition over his son's suspected poisoning of his wife, losing his post and going into exile. In 1570 he was briefly imprisoned, later receiving a papal pardon. He spent his final years mainly in Rome, continuing to revise his works, and died in Rome in 1576.