Why did Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz decline a professorship at the University of Altdorf?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Engraved portrait of Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz with long curly hair, wearing a buttoned coat and cravat, facing forward. — Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, engraving, c. 1701.

After completing his legal studies in 1666, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was refused a doctor of law degree at the University of Leipzig due to his age. He subsequently moved to Altdorf, where he successfully earned his degree and was immediately offered a professorship.1

Leibniz declined this academic position, choosing instead to enter the service of Johann Christian, Freiherr von Boyneburg, a distinguished statesman who introduced him to the court of the prince elector of Mainz. This career path allowed Leibniz to engage directly with law and politics at a high level, rather than pursuing a traditional academic career at the university.1