Editing Gerolamo Cardano (section)

== Early life and education ==
[[File:Cardano - De propria vita, 1821 - 698063 F.jpg|thumb|''De propria vita'', 1821]]
Cardano was born on 24 September 1501<ref>{{Cite web|title=Quick Fact on Cardona|url=https://www.uni-due.de/imperia/md/content/didmath/ag_jahnke/leb_ca.pdf|access-date=2 October 2021|website=Universität Duisburg Essen}}</ref> in [[Pavia]], Lombardy, the [[illegitimate]] child of [[Fazio Cardano]], a mathematically gifted [[jurist]], lawyer, and close friend of [[Leonardo da Vinci]]. In his autobiography, Cardano wrote that his mother, Chiara Micheri, had taken "various abortive medicines" to terminate the pregnancy; he said: "I was taken by violent means from my mother; I was almost dead." She was in labour for three days.<ref name="Maggi2001">{{cite book|author=Armando Maggi|title=Satan's Rhetoric: A Study of Renaissance Demonology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dF-JHCT9bT0C&pg=PA184|date=1 September 2001|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|isbn=978-0-226-50132-1|pages=181–}}</ref> Shortly before his birth, his mother had to move from [[Milan]] to [[Pavia]] to escape the [[Black Death|Plague]]; her three other children died from the disease.

After a depressing childhood, with frequent illnesses, and the rough upbringing by his overbearing father, in 1520, Cardano entered the [[University of Pavia]]. Against the wish of his father, who wanted his son to undertake studies of law, Girolamo felt more attracted to philosophy and science. During the [[Italian War of 1521–1526]], however, the authorities in Pavia were forced to close the university in 1524.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pavia 1525 : the climax of the Italian wars|last=Angus.|first=Konstam|date=1996|publisher=Osprey Military|isbn=1855325047|location=London|oclc=36143257}}</ref> Cardano resumed his studies at the [[University of Padua]], where he graduated with a doctorate in medicine in 1525.<ref name="mactutor">{{cite web|url=http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Cardan.html|title=Cardan biography|publisher=[[MacTutor History of Mathematics archive]]|access-date=30 October 2017}}</ref> His eccentric and confrontational style did not earn him many friends and he had a difficult time finding work after he completed his studies. In 1525, Cardano repeatedly applied to the College of Physicians in Milan, but was not admitted owing to his combative reputation and illegitimate birth. However, he was consulted by many members of the College of Physicians, because of his irrefutable intelligence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Cardan.html|title = Girolamo Cardano - Biography}}</ref>