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It is the passion for mathematics which dominates him, I think it would be best for him if his parents would allow him to study nothing but this, he is wasting his time here and does nothing but torment his teachers and overwhelm himself with punishments.

Intelligence, marked progress but not enough method.

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This student works only in the highest realms of mathematics.

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This pupil is sometimes obscure in expressing his ideas, but he is intelligent and shows a remarkable spirit of research.

This is the only student who has answered me poorly, he knows absolutely nothing. I was told that this student has an extraordinary capacity for mathematics. This astonishes me greatly, for, after his examination, I believed him to have but little intelligence.

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.. the death of M. Fourier, have been too much for this student Galois who, in spite of his impertinence, showed signs of a clever disposition. All this has done so much that he has been expelled form École Normale. He is without money... . They say he will go completely mad. I fear this is true.

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To Louis-Phillipe, if he betrays

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His argument is neither sufficiently clear nor sufficiently developed to allow us to judge its rigour.

Do you know what I lack my friend? I confide it only to you: it is someone whom I can love and love only in spirit. I have lost my father and no one has ever replaced him, do you hear me...?

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There is something to complete in this demonstration. I do not have the time. ( Author's note ) .

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...as correct as it is deep of this lovely problem: Given an irreducible equation of prime degree, decide whether or not it is soluble by radicals.

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' father Nicholas Gabriel Galois and his mother Adelaide Marie Demante were both intelligent and well educated in philosophy, classical literature and religion. However there is no sign of any mathematical ability in any of Galois' family. His mother served as Galois' sole teacher until he wasyears old. She taught him Greek, Latin and religion where she imparted her own scepticism to her son. Galois' father was an important man in the community and inhe was elected mayor of Bourg-la-Reine.You can see a map of Paris in theCentury, showing Bourg-la-Reine at THIS LINK The starting point of the historical events which were to play a major role in Galois' life is surely the storming of the Bastille onJuly. From this point the monarchy of Louiswas in major difficulties as the majority of Frenchmen composed their differences and united behind an attempt to destroy the privileged establishment of the church and the state.Despite attempts at compromise Louiswas tried after attempting to flee the country. Following the execution of the King onJanuarythere followed a reign of terror with many political trials. By the end ofthere werepolitical prisoners held in Paris. However France began to have better times as their armies, under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte, won victory after victory.Napoleon became first Consul inand then Emperor in. The French armies continued a conquest of Europe while Napoleon's power became more and more secure. InNapoleon was at the height of his power. ByNapoleon's rule was over. The failed Russian campaign ofwas followed by defeats, the Allies entering Paris onMarch. Napoleon abdicated onApril and Louis XVIII was installed as King by the Allies. The yearsaw the famous one hundred days. Napoleon entered Paris on March, was defeated at Waterloo onJune and abdicated for the second time onJune. Louis XVIII was reinstated as King but died in September, Charles X becoming the new King.Galois was by this time at school. He had enrolled at the Lycée of Louis-le-Grand as a boarder in theth class onOctober. Even during his first term there was a minor rebellion andpupils were expelled from the school. Galois was not involved and duringhis school record is good and he received several prizes. However inGalois was asked to repeat the year because his work in rhetoric was not up to the required standard.Februarywas a turning point in Galois' life. He enrolled in his first mathematics class, the class of M. Vernier. He quickly became absorbed in mathematics and his director of studies wroteGalois' school reports began to describe him asand. It is interesting that perhaps the most original mathematician who ever lived should be criticised for being. M. Vernier reported howeverInGalois took the examination of the École Polytechnique but failed. It was the leading University of Paris and Galois must have wished to enter it for academic reasons. However, he also wished to enter this school because of the strong political movements that existed among its students, since Galois followed his parents example in being an ardent republican.Back at Louis-le-Grand, Galois enrolled in the mathematics class of Louis Richard . However he worked more and more on his own researches and less and less on his schoolwork. He studied Legendre 'sand the treatises of Lagrange . As Richard was to reportIn AprilGalois had his first mathematics paper published on continued fractions in the. OnMay andJune he submitted articles on the algebraic solution of equations to the Académie des Sciences Cauchy was appointed as referee of Galois' paper.Tragedy was to strike Galois for onJulyhis father committed suicide. The priest of Bourg-la-Reine forged Mayor Galois' name on malicious forged epigrams directed at Galois' own relatives. Galois' father was a good natured man and the scandal that ensued was more than he could stand. He hanged himself in his Paris apartment only a few steps from Louis-le-Grand where his son was studying. Galois was deeply affected by his father's death and it greatly influenced the direction his life was to take.A few weeks after his father's death, Galois presented himself for examination for entry to the École Polytechnique for the second time. For the second time he failed, perhaps partly because he took it under the worst possible circumstances so soon after his father's death, partly because he was never good at communicating his deep mathematical ideas. Galois therefore resigned himself to enter the École Normale, which was an annex to Louis-le-Grand, and to do so he had to take his Baccalaureate examinations, something he could have avoided by entering the École Polytechnique.He passed, receiving his degree onDecember. His examiner in mathematics reported:-His literature examiner reported:-Galois sent Cauchy further work on the theory of equations, but then learned fromof a posthumous article by Abel which overlapped with a part of his work. Galois then took Cauchy 's advice and submitted a new articlein February. The paper was sent to Fourier , the secretary of the Paris Academy , to be considered for the Grand Prize in mathematics. Fourier died in Apriland Galois' paper was never subsequently found and so never considered for the prize.Galois, after reading Abel and Jacobi 's work, worked on the theory of elliptic functions and abelian integrals . With support from Jacques Sturm , he published three papers inin April. However, he learnt in June that the prize of the Academy would be awarded the Prize jointly to Abel posthumouslyand to Jacobi , his own work never having been considered.Julysaw a revolution. Charlesfled France. There was rioting in the streets of Paris and the director of École Normale, M. Guigniault, locked the students in to avoid them taking part. Galois tried to scale the wall to join the rioting but failed. In DecemberM. Guigniault wrote newspaper articles attacking the students and Galois wrote a reply in the, attacking M. Guigniault for his actions in locking the students into the school. For this letter Galois was expelled and he joined the Artillery of the National Guard, a Republican branch of the militia. OnDecemberthe Artillery of the National Guard was abolished by Royal Decree since the new King Louis-Phillipe felt it was a threat to the throne.Two minor publications, an abstract inDecemberand a letter on the teaching of science in theJanuarywere the last publications during his life. In JanuaryGalois attempted to return to mathematics. He organised some mathematics classes in higher algebra which attractedstudents to the first meeting but after that the numbers quickly fell off. Galois was invited by Poisson to submit a third version of his memoir on equation to the Academy and he did so onJanuary.OnApril Sophie Germain wrote a letter to her friend the mathematician Libri which describes Galois' situation.Late inofficers from the Artillery of the National Guard were arrested and charged with conspiracy to overthrow the government. They were acquitted and onMayrepublicans gathered for a dinner to celebrate the acquittal. During the dinner Galois raised his glass and with an open dagger in his hand appeared to make threats against the King, Louis-Phillipe. After the dinner Galois was arrested and held in Sainte-Pélagie prison. At his trial onJune his defence lawyer claimed that Galois had saidbut the last words had been drowned by the noise. Galois, rather surprisingly since he essentially repeated the threat from the dock, was acquitted.Theof July was Bastille Day and Galois was arrested again. He was wearing the uniform of the Artillery of the National Guard, which was illegal. He was also carrying a loaded rifle, several pistols and a dagger. Galois was sent back to Sainte-Pélagie prison. While in prison he received a rejection of his memoir. Poisson had reported that:-He did, however, encourage Galois to publish a more complete account of his work. While in Sainte-Pélagie prison Galois attempted to commit suicide by stabbing himself with a dagger but the other prisoners prevented him. While drunk in prison he poured out his soulIn Marcha cholera epidemic swept Paris and prisoners, including Galois, were transferred to the pension Sieur Faultrier. There he apparently fell in love with Stephanie-Felice du Motel, the daughter of the resident physician. After he was released onApril Galois exchanged letters with Stephanie, and it is clear that she tried to distance herself from the affair.The name Stephanie appears several times as a marginal note in one of Galois' manuscripts. See THIS LINK Galois fought a duel with Perscheux d'Herbinville onMay, the reason for the duel not being clear but certainly linked with Stephanie.A marginal note in the margin of the manuscript that Galois wrote the night before the duel readsYou can see this note at THIS LINK It is this which has led to the legend that he spent his last night writing out all he knew about group theory . This story appears to have been exaggerated.Galois was wounded in the duel and was abandoned by d'Herbinville and his own seconds and found by a peasant. He died in Cochin hospital onMay and his funeral was held onJune. It was the focus for a Republican rally and riots followed which lasted for several days.Galois' brother and his friend Chevalier copied his mathematical papers and sent them to Gauss Jacobi and others. It had been Galois' wish that Jacobi and Gauss should give their opinions on his work. No record exists of any comment these men made. However the papers reached Liouville who, in September, announced to the Academy that he had found in Galois' papers a concise solution Liouville published these papers of Galois in his Journal inThe theory that Galois outlined in these papers is now called Galois theory