Francois Viete was born in 1540 in Frontenay-le-Comte, France. It is now the province of Vendee. His father was Etenne Viete, who was a lawyer, and his mother was Marguerite Dupont. They both came from well-to-do families. He enjoyed all the available educational opportunities. He did preliminary studies in Frontenay, before moving to study law at the University of Poitiers. He earned his degree in 1560. He practiced it for four years, then abandoned it for a legal profession in 1564. He wanted to enter the employment of Antionette d'Aubeterre, as private tutor to her daughter, Catherine of Parthenay. He became a friend and was confidant of Catherine during the years he spent as her tutor. He remained her loyal and trusted adviser for the rest of his life (Parshall 1).

He took his teaching duties very seriously, while he was preparing lectures for his charge on variety an of topics about science. The first scientific work date

Henry III called him back in 1589 to serve as a counselor to parliament. Henry has been forced to relocate on his tours. Later during France's war with Spain, Henry IV also called him, in as a capacity not as a government bureaucrat, but as a mathematician. He then was to decode any intercepted messages for the monarch. After the war, he returned to Paris from 1594 to 1597 and then again from 1599 to 1602. Finally in late 1602, Henry IV dismissed him for the last time (Parshall 1).

In 1570, Viete left Rochelle and then he moved to Paris. He was never employed as a professional scientist or mathematician, but had already had his work on both topics in mathematics and astronomy. For his first published mathematical work appeared in Paris in 1571. While in Paris, Charles IX was authorized to the massacre of the Huguenots. Both who were an increasingly powerful group of French Protestants on August 23, 1572. It must have been a difficult time for Viete. He, though, was not active in the Protestant cause, because he was a Huguenot himself. Charles did not live long after this event. The massacre was apparently haunting him for rest of his life. On October 24, 1573 he appointed Viete to the government of Brittany that was based at Rennes. It was moved to Rennes to take up the position of the counselor there. He remained there untill sometime in March of 1580, then he returned to Paris. Charles died on May 30, 1574. After that event Henry III became monarch. He then made concessions to Protestant Huguenots in 1576 and to the Roman Catholics who formed holy leagues. It was to look after their own interests by military actions. It was a tense atmosphere to Viete who was appoin

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