Quick Facts
Named the living world. Father of taxonomy who gave every species its scientific name.
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Life Journey
Carl Linnaeus was born to Nils Ingemarsson Linnaeus and Christina Brodersonia in Råshult, Småland, Sweden. His father was a Lutheran pastor and amateur botanist.
At the age of 10, Carl Linnaeus begins his formal education at the Växjö School, where he shows a strong interest in botany and natural history.
Linnaeus enrolls at Lund University to study medicine, where he is influenced by the botanist Kilian Stobaeus and begins to develop his interest in systematic botany.
Linnaeus transfers to Uppsala University to continue his medical studies. He becomes a student of Olof Rudbeck the Younger and begins to work on his classification system.
Linnaeus embarks on a solo expedition to Lapland, where he collects and documents numerous plant and animal species, laying the groundwork for his future work.
Linnaeus publishes his groundbreaking work 'Systema Naturae,' which introduces the binomial nomenclature system for classifying living organisms, revolutionizing biological taxonomy.
Linnaeus marries Sara Elisabeth Moraea, a physician's daughter, in Falun, Sweden. They go on to have six children, including five who survive to adulthood.
Linnaeus is appointed Professor of Medicine at Uppsala University, where he teaches botany, zoology, and medicine, and continues to expand his classification system.
Linnaeus publishes 'Species Plantarum,' a comprehensive catalog of known plant species, which solidifies his binomial nomenclature system and earns him international recognition.
Carl Linnaeus is knighted by King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, taking the name Carl von Linné, in recognition of his significant contributions to science.
Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, dies at the age of 70 in Uppsala, Sweden, leaving behind a legacy that continues to influence biological classification.