| Authorised form of name | Leibniz; Gottfried Wilhelm von (1646 - 1716); mathematician and natural philosopher |
| Other forms of surname | von Leibniz |
| Dates | 1646 - 1716 |
| Nationality | German |
| Place of birth | Leipzig, Electorate of Saxony, [modern day Germany], Europe |
| Date of birth | 1 July 1646 |
| Place of death | Hanover, Electorate of Hanover, [modern day Germany], Europe |
| Date of death | 14 November 1716 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Baptism:
St Nicholas' Church, Leipzig, Electorate of Saxony [modern day German], Europe (3 July 1646) |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
| Research field | Mathematics |
| Philosophy |
| Metaphysics |
| Activity | Education:
Nicolai School; Leipzig (admitted 1661); Jena (admitted 1663); Altdorf (LLD 1666)
Career:
Employed by the Elector Johann Philipp von Schonborn of Mainz as an adviser on legal matters (1667); began work on his calculating machine (1671); went on a diplomatic missions to Paris (1672) and London (1673); on the death of the Elector, went to Paris, hoping for a post at the Academie des Sciences, but was disappointed; visited Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (FRS 1680); Adviser and Librarian to the Duke of Hannover (1676); Councillor at the Court of Hannover (1679); travelled through Germany and Italy in order to prepare a genealogy of the house of Brunswick and visited Vincenzo Viviani (FRS 1696) in Florence and Marcello Malpighi (FRS 1665) in Bologna (1687-1689); Privy Councillor in Hannover; in the service of Sophia Charlotte, Electress of Brandenburg (1700); involved in a dispute about calculus with Isaac Newton (FRS 1672) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 09/04/1673 |
| Age at election | 26 |
| Proposer | Sir Robert Moray |
| Other Royal Society activity | Correspondent to Henry Oldenburg on mathematics, incl. his calculating machine |
| Relationships | Parents: Friedrich Leibniz and Katharina Schmuck |
| OtherInfo | Throughout his career, Leibniz was in regular correspondence or collaboration with many Fellows of the Society, e.g. Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (FRS 1665) or Marcello Malpighi (FRS 1667). He published papers on quadratures and his method of differentiation and integration, as well as works on law, ethics, and politics. He is probably most well-known for his involvement in the Newton-Leibniz controversy regarding the origin of calculus. The general consensus was that Leibniz had not in fact discovered calculus independently of Newton and so much of his work on mathematics and physics was not held in high regard towards the end of his life. His reputation, particularly as a philosopher, improved posthumously. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Image | 
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| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DSB
References:
Sir Alan Cook, 'The 350th Anniversary of the Birth of G W Leibniz, FRS' in NR 1996 vol 50 pp 153-163, plate
Milo Keynes, 'The Personality of Isaac Newton' in NR 1995 vol 49 pp 1-56
Derek Massarella, 'Philip Henry Zollman, the Royal Society's First Assistant Secretary for Foreign Correspondence' in NR 1992 vol 46 pp 219-234
D T Whiteside, 'The Prehistory of the Principia from 1664 to 1686' in NR 1991 vol 45 pp 11-61
G J Whitrow, 'Newton's Role in the History of Mathematics' in NR 1989 vol 43 pp 71-92
E A Fellmann, 'The Principia and Continental Mathematicians' in NR 1988 vol 42 pp 13-34
Marie Boas Hall, 'The Royal Society's Role in the Diffusion of Information in the Seventeenth Century' in NR 1974-5 vol 29 pp 173-192
Joan L Hawes, 'Newton's Revival of the Aether Hypothesis and the Explanation of Gravitational Attraction' in NR 1968 vol 23 pp 200-212
R E W Maddison, 'Studies in the Life of Robert Boyle, FRS. Part IV. Robert Boyle and Some of his Foreign Visitors' in NR 1954-55 vol 11 pp 38-53
M Greenwood, 'The First Life Table' in NR 1938 vol 1 pp 70-72
R Lewis, 'The publication of John Wilkins's Essay (1668): some contextual considerations' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp133-146
M V Wilkes, 'Charles Babbage and his world' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 353-365
J S Rowlinson, 'Le Sage's Essai de chymie mechanique' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 35-45
A Cook, 'Rome and the Royal Society, 1660-1740' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 3-19
P Fara, 'Theatrical Science. C Djerassi and D Pinner, Newton's darkness: two dramatic views' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 237-238
M Bailey Ogilvie, 'In her place. Pandora's breeches: women, science and power in the enlightenment, by P Fara' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 314-315
Notes:
Old Style has his birth date as 21 June 1646. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/9849392 |
| Code | NA8450 |
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| IM/002707 | Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm von | nd |
| MM/10/88 | "Precis on certain evidence affecting the moral character of Leibnitz, said to be in the Archives of the Royal Society", by CM Ingleby | 16 December 1879 |
| EL/L5/104 | Letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to Dethlevus Cluverus | 9 March 1680 |
| MM/17/21 | Letter from E Gerland to the Royal Society | 26 October 1882 |
| MS/427/303 | Copy letter from [Michael] Foster, Secretary of the Royal Society; to Dr. Wilson | 27 October 1883 |
| MM/17/20 | Letter from E Gerland to the Royal Society | 5 August 1882 |
| MM/17/22 | Letter from RA Smith to Walter White | 28 October 1882 |
| MM/17/15 | Letter from Cecil J Monro to the Royal Society | 12 June 1880 |
| CMB/2/26 | Statutes Committee | 1878 |
| NLB/19/740 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to Herrn Dr Moritz Cantor, Heidelberg | 6 December 1899 |
| MS/81 | Original letters printed in 'Commercium Epistolicum Domini Johannis Collins et Aliorum' | 1669-1677 |
| LBO/4/26 | Copy letter from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Moguntiae, to Mr Oldenburg | 23 August 1670 |
| LBO/6/12 | Copy letter from Gottfried William Leibniz, London, to the Royal Society | 20 February 1673 |
| LBO/6/29 | Copy letter from Henry Oldenburg to William Gottfired Leibniz | 1673 |
| LBO/7/84 | Copy letter from Henry Oldenburg, London, to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz | 30 September 1675 |
| LBO/7/46 | Copy letter from Gottfried Wilhelmr Leibniz to Henry Oldenburg | 15 July 1674 |
| LBO/12/79 | Copy letter from John Wallis, Oxford, to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz [Leibniz], Hannover | 29 March 1700 |
| LBO/28/152 | Copy letter from Dethlevius Cluver, London, to Gottried Wilhelm Leibnitz | 6 April 1680 |
| EL/W2/71 | Letter, from John Wallis to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz | 29 March 1700 |
| EL/H3/63 | Letter, from Robert Hooke to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz | 12 July 1680 |
| MM/17/14 | Letter from CM Ingleby to the Secretary of the Royal Society | 9 February 1880 |
| IM/002708 | Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm von | nd |
| EL/L5/106 | Letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz [to the Royal Society], dated at Hanover | August 1680 |
| EL/L5/111 | Letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to Hans Sloane | 8 September 1700 |
| EL/L5/107 | Letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to Theodore Haak | 6 January 1681 |
| EL/L5/105 | Letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to Dethlevus Cluverus | 18 May 1680 |
| EL/L5/100 | Copy of a letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to Collins, dated at Hanover | 12 July 1677 |
| EL/L5/102 | Letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz [to the Royal Society] | 27 June 1678 |
| EL/L5/108 | Letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to Isaac Newton, dated at Hanover | 17 March 1693 |
| EL/L5/99 | Copy of a letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to Collins, dated at Hanover | 21 June 1677 |
| EL/L5/101 | Letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz [to the Royal Society] | 28 June 1678 |
| EL/L5/103 | Extract of a letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to Theodore Haak | February 1680 |
| EL/L5/110 | Letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to Hans Sloane, dated at Hanover | 1700 |
| EL/L5/109 | Letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to Hans Sloane, dated at Hanover | 30 January 1700 |
| EL/S2/14 | Letter, from Hans Sloane to G[ottfried Wilhelm] Leibniz, dated at London | 4 July 1700 |
| EL/O2/51 | Letter, from Henry Oldenburg to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, dated at London | 12 June 1671 |
| EL/C2/11 | Letter, from Dethlevus Cluverus to Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, dated at London | 6 April 1680 |
| EL/L5/113 | Translation of a letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to John Chamberlayne, dated at Vienna | 1700 |
| CLP/1/1 | Paper, 'De resolutione aequationum cubicarum' [On the resolution of cubic equation] by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz | [17th century] |
| CLP/18ii/23 | Paper, Details of an experiment showing force of moving bodies and velocity by J T [John Theophilus] Desaguliers | [1728] |
| EL/H3/64 | Letter, from Robert Hooke to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz | 15 May 1681 |
| EL/L5/112 | Letter, from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to John Chamberlayne, dated at Vienna | 28 April 1714 |
| RBO/4/52 | 'Concerning Arithmetick Instruments' brought in by Robert Hooke | 7 May 1673 |
| AP/29/2 | Unpublished paper, 'A comparison of the first and second editions of the "Commercium Epistolicum D Johannis Collins et aliorum de analysi promota' by A [Augustus] de Morgan | 23 November 1846 |
| P/0080 | Portrait of Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm von | |