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Why did Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz leave Leipzig after completing his legal studies?
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Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, engraving, c. 1701.
After completing his legal studies in 1666, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz applied for a doctorate in law at the University of Leipzig. His application was refused due to his age, which led him to leave his native city permanently.1
He subsequently traveled to Altdorf, the university town of the free city of NĂŒrnberg, where he successfully obtained his doctorâs degree and was immediately offered a professor's chair.1