university of padua notable alumni

The University of Padua is a renowned Italian university, with notable alumni including Galileo Galilei, René Descartes, and Niccolò Fontana Tartaglia. The school was founded in 1222 by a decree from the Venetian Republic, making it the oldest university in Italy and one of the oldest universities in Europe. It has been home to many famous scientists, artists, politicians and scholars throughout its history. Check out the university of padua notable alumni list.

The University of Padua was founded under the leadership of Enrico Dandolo on April 26, 1222 by a decree from the Venetian Republic. This made it the first university in Italy and one of the oldest in Europe. The university was given permission to grant degrees in medicine and law at this point; however it could not grant degrees in theology until 1351 because Pope Clement VI did not approve of those disciplines being taught at secular institutions.

The school was closed down during several periods due to warring factions within Venice; however each time it reopened its doors students flocked back to study there again as soon as peace had been restored to their region. Many famous scientists have attended this institution over time including Galileo Galilei (who studied here between 1592-1593) as well as René Descartes (

university of padua notable alumni

The University of Padua is a public university founded in 1222 and located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University has more than 70,000 students and a teaching staff of 3,500. It is one of the earliest universities in Europe and the first academic institution to be called “University.” The university is organized into 11 faculties, which are divided into schools, departments, and institutes.

Notable people who have attended the University of Padua include:^[10]In natural sciences

• Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) Polish mathematician and astronomer, placed Sun at center of Solar System
• John Caius (1510–1573) English physician
• Vesalius (1514–1564) known as founder of modern human anatomy; offered professorship at Padua, but died
• Gabriele Falloppio (1523–1562) anatomist; anatomy of head and internal ear; reproductive organs
• Sir Francis Walsingham (ca 1532-1590) spymaster for Queen Elizabeth I
• William Harvey (1578–1657) anatomist; described function of heart and circulatory system
• George Ent (1604–1689) English anatomist, supporter of Harvey
• Thomas Browne (1605–1682) English writer and physician
• Sir Edward Greaves (1608–1680) English physician.
• Nathaniel Eaton (1610-1674), Ph.D. and M.D., first Head Master of Harvard College
• Tommaso Perelli, Italian astronomer
• Federico Faggin (1941-) designer of the first commercial microprocessor
• Mario Rizzetto (1945–) Italian virologist; worked with Hepatitis D virus
• Luigi Dall’Igna (1966-) General manager of Ducati Corse

In politics and government

• Abdirahman Jama Barre (1937-2017), Foreign Minister of Somalia
• Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776-1831), 1st Governor of Greece, Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire
• Luigi Luzzatti (1841-1927), financier, political economist, social philosopher and jurist, 20th Prime Minister of Italy
• Alexandros Mavrokordatos (1791-1865), Prime Minister of Greece
• Seneschal Constantine Cantacuzino Stolnic (c. 1650–1716), Romanian nobleman and humanist scholar who held high offices in the Principality of Wallachia. Author of a History of Wallachia (unfinished), he was the first Romanian to ever graduate from this prestigious university.^[11]
• Jan Zamoyski, Polish nobleman, magnate, diplomat and statesman

In arts, theology and literature

• Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius
• Nicolas of Cusa (1401–1464), in canon law. German philosopher, theologian, jurist, and astronomer.
• Sir John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester (1458-64)
• George Acworth, Anglican priest and civil lawyer
• Reginald Pole, cardinal
• Jacopo Zabarella (1533–1589) physics, metaphysics, and mathematics.
• Theophilos Corydalleus (1563-1546) Greek Neo-Aristotelian philosopher, started Korydalism.
• Boris Pahor, writer
• Giovanni Pico, humanist
• Elena Cornaro Piscopia (1646-1684), first woman to receive a doctor of philosophy degree
• Angelus Silesius, German priest, physician and poet
• Francysk Skaryna, printer of the first book in an Eastern Slavic language
• Giuseppe Tartini, musician and composer
• Torquato Tasso, poet
• Edgar Manas, composer
• Mikołaj Kiczka, nobleman, diplomat and priest
• Moses Hayyim Luzzatto, kabbalist and playwright, founder of Hebrew literature
• Ugo Foscolo
• Pietro Bembo, poet and cardinal
• Pomponio Algerio, student of civil law (1550s) executed under the Roman Catholic Inquisition
• Daniele Barbaro, translator of Vitruvius
• Ermolao Barbaro (1454–1493) Italian renaissance scholar
• Francesco Barbaro, humanist
• Giacomo Casanova, traveller, author and seducer
• Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland and poet and abettor of Essex’s Rebellion

The University of Padua is a public university located in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe.

The University of Padua is the second oldest university in Italy and the third oldest in the world. It is among the earliest universities that were founded in Europe, and it is the second oldest academic institution in the world. The university was officially established in 1222 when a papal bull issued by Pope Gregory IX granted full autonomy to its students.

Notable alumni:

Federico Borromeo (1538-1584) – Italian prelate, cardinal and archbishop of Milan; nephew of St Charles Borromeo; known for his piety and devotion to his uncle’s example; became cardinal at age 14

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) – German artist, naturalist, explorer, entomologist and scientific illustrator who studied insects and plants from South America to create stunning images for books on natural history; one of the first women to study science; published “Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium” (1679), covering her observations on insects in Suriname.