Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (1646-1684): The First Woman in the World to Earn a University Degree

Even in 17th-century Italy, news spread quickly. On June 25, 1678, an enormous crowd that included nobles, knights, city officials, ladies, scholarly men, the diocesan vicar general, and the entire College of Philosophers and Physicians gathered at the University of Padua to witness Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia stand for her oral doctoral examination-the first time in history that a woman had been accorded this privilege! So great was the crowd that the examination had to be moved from the University's College to the cathedral.
The bishop's refusal to allow Elena to stand for a degree in theology no doubt increased interest in the grudgingly approved examination in philosophy. Elena's eloquent discourse on two Aristotelian theses so impressed the examining committee that, despite her request for a secret ballot, they voted their approval viva voce to award the Teacher and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. She was the first woman so honored by a university.
Maschietto's definitive biography of Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia was originally published in Italian on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of her landmark degree (Padua: Editrice Antenore, 1978). Now more than 25 years later, this meticulously researched biography is available for the first time in English translation.
After carefully tracing the lineage of Elena's family, Maschietto tells the fascinating story of her rearing and education, as well as of the high drama of her standing for examination for a doctoral degree. Maschietto also offers a full assessment of Elena's writings, spirituality, and posterity. This book is profusely illustrated with reproductions of paintings and engravings of many of the principal figures who populate Elena's life-story.