José Anastácio da Cunha

José Anastácio da Cunha (11 May 1744 – 1 January 1787) was a Portuguese mathematician and educator whose work anticipated nineteenth‑century developments in analysis by several decades. He is best known for his work on the theory of equations, algebraic analysis, plain and spherical trigonometry, analytical geometry, and differential calculus.

Early life and education

Anastácio da Cunha was born in Lisbon to a humble family and received his early schooling in grammar, rhetoric and logic from the Oratorian fathers at the Casa das Necessidades. By his own account, he pursued physics and mathematics (out of curiosity and without a teacher). In 1762, during the closing stages of the Seven Years' War, he secured a commission as a lieutenant in the Portuguese artillery. His mathematical reputation led the Marquês de Pombal to appoint him to the newly created chair of geometry at the University of Coimbra in October 1773. After a period of imprisonment by the Portuguese Inquisition for alleged heterodox opinions, he was pardoned and in 1781 took up the task of organising mathematics instruction at the Real Casa Pia in Lisbon.