Sofya Kovalevskaya’s Biography: A Bold Mathematics

Discover the biography of Sofya Kovalevskaya, a woman notable both for her contributions to the fields of mathematics and physics, and for her impressive tenacity. It was born at a time when women had the doors of education closed and could not even exercise the right to travel without the permission of their father or husband.

The most interesting thing about Sofya Kovalevskaya’s life is precisely the way in which she managed to overcome all the limits imposed on her by society  and fulfill her dreams and projects. She was the first woman to complete a university degree in the world. She was also the first university professor recognized in the world.

Unwittingly, Kovalevskaya became a pioneering figure in feminism. She demonstrated that determination is an unstoppable force that sometimes helps people achieve what seems impossible.

Sofya Kovalevskaya, in addition to an important career in the scientific field,  also ventured into the world of writing. She dedicated herself to poetry, scientific dissemination and made contributions in astronomy.

Sofya Kovalevskaya’s childhood

Sofya Kovalevskaya was born into a very private family. On the maternal side, she was a descendant of the king of Hungary, Matías Corvino. However, his grandfather married a gypsy, contrary to royal norms. As a result, he was denied the title of prince to which he was entitled.

On her father’s side, she had several famous relatives among her Polish ancestors, such as cartographer Friedrich Schubert and astronomer Theodor von Schubert.

Sofya was born on January 15, 1850 in Moscow, Russia. His older sister  was the famous socialist Anna Jaclard. When she was very young, she moved to Belarus with her family, to an environment highly influenced by science and knowledge. Two of her uncles, and at times her father, instilled in her a great love for reading and research.

When they arrived in Belarus, the family noticed that a wall in Sofya’s room was missing pieces of wallpaper. So they decided to solve the problem by taking the pages out of a random book and pasting them together to cover the empty spaces. As it happened, it was a book on differential calculus. The girl began to look and read the pages with surprise and interest.

a bright girl

Although his father had hired private tutors to give him the first teachings, he was scared to see Sofya’s progress. He was terrified of “smart women.” So he interrupted his education. However,  the young woman continued to study on her own  and was even able to learn and deduce various algebra subjects.

The famous writer Fyodor Dostoevsky courted his sister, even though Sofya was totally in love with him. He was your impossible love.

Both Sofya and her sister knew that the only way to gain any freedom was to get married. Back then, many women agreed to have a marriage for convenience.

It was common to enter into an agreement with someone to make a formal marriage, and then each could live in complete freedom. Anna, Sofya’s older sister, explored this option with paleontologist Vladimir Kovalevski. However, he chose to marry Sofya, who was only 18 years old.

Biography of Sofya Kovalevskaya, a unique woman

As expected, the marriage provided new opportunities for Sofya Kovalevskaya. They first moved to Heidelberg and then to Berlin.

There, she met the famous mathematician and analyst Karl Weierstrass, who at first did not believe in Sofya’s talent. When he realized her passion and intelligence, he asked that she be accepted at the university as a student. The university refused, so he decided to tutor her.

Thanks to Weierstrass’ support, Sofya was able to train as a doctor. He made it possible for her to present her thesis without being physically present. From there, she began a long journey to get a job that would allow her to develop her talent.

About ten years after graduating, her friend Gustav Mittag-Leffler helped her get hired as a professor  at Stockholm University.

At that time, Sofya had a daughter and her husband had committed suicide. Her status as a widow was a factor that contributed to lessening her resistance to being hired.

Throughout her life, she received several awards. She was the first woman to join the Russian Academy of Sciences. He died young, aged 41, as a result of pneumonia. One of the moon’s craters is named after his great contributions.

Looking at Sofya Kovalevskaya’s biography, we see that she was one of the many brilliant female figures that history has tried to hide. She is barely mentioned in schools, but her trajectory is equally remarkable and even more impressive than that of some of her contemporaries.

She was one of those amazing minds that, regardless of gender, flourish from time to time in human history.