Anna Maria van Schurman
A 17th-century Dutch polymath who mastered fourteen languages and forcefully argued that women's minds were worthy of a university education.
1607–1678 (age 71)·Dutch artist, classical scholar, philosopher, and feminist·Birthday: November 5
Biography
In the Golden Age of the Netherlands, Anna Maria van Schurman was a quiet intellectual earthquake. Confined by the conventions of her time, she carved out a space for female scholarship from her home in Utrecht, becoming a celebrated painter and engraver. Her true passion, however, was languages, and she achieved fluency in an astonishing array, from Latin and Greek to Hebrew, Arabic, and Syriac. This erudition formed the bedrock of her famous argument, articulated in letters and a published treatise, that women were intellectually capable of university study—a radical notion she embodied by attending lectures at Utrecht University from behind a screen. Later in life, her quest for a deeper spiritual truth led her to join the austere Labadist religious community, a final, dramatic turn in a life dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and conviction.
#1 When Anna Was Born
The biggest hits of 1607
Anna's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1607Born
1612Started school
1620Became a teenager
1623Could drive
1625Could vote
1628Turned 21
1637Turned 30
1647Turned 40
1657Turned 50
1667Turned 60
1677Turned 70
1678Died at 71
Key Achievements
- Wrote 'Whether a Christian Woman Should Be Educated,' a seminal 1641 treatise advocating for female access to higher learning.
- Became the first woman to unofficially attend lectures at a Dutch university (Utrecht).
- Achieved recognition as a skilled portrait engraver and painter.
- Gained fame across Europe as a polyglot, corresponding with scholars in numerous languages.
Did You Know?
She designed and engraved her own intricate, calligraphic bookplates.
She was a skilled needleworker and created elaborate embroidery designs.
Her portrait was painted by the famous Dutch artist Jan Lievens.
She corresponded with the French philosopher René Descartes.
“A mind is not sexed.”
