1658-1730

Italian Aristocrat, Scientist and Soldier

Marsili was an Italian aristocrat and soldier who was also a scientist with a wide range of interests from astronomy to geology. His contributions include writing a dissertation on marine biology as well as founding Academia delle Scienze dell'Instituto di Bologna or the Institute of Sciences and Arts.

Although Marsili was from a noble family, he did not complete his formal education. However, he did study informally with Marcello Malpighi (1628-1694), an Italian biologist, and other teachers to acquire basic knowledge of history, science, and mathematics.

As a young man in Rome, Marsili made powerful allies. Queen Christina of Sweden and Cardinal de Luca employed him with a diplomatic mission to Venice. It was the Queen to whom he would later dedicate his first work, and it was the cardinal who would later recommend him to Emperor Leopold...