Constantine Karatheodori (1873–1950) is the most influential Greek mathematician since antiquity.
His groundbreaking contributions to mathematics—from real and complex analysis to thermodynamics, measure theory, and the calculus of variations—earned him among the greatest minds of the early 20th century.
Spending most of his academic career in Germany, Karatheodori collaborated with prominent mathematicians and scientists, including Albert Einstein. In their correspondence, Einstein sought Karatheodori’s expertise in Hamilton-Jacobi equations and canonical transformations, which were fundamental to his general theory of relativity. Einstein praised Karatheodori’s derivations as “beautiful” and recommended their publication in Annalen der Physik, recognizing their significance in theoretical physics.
Early Life and Education
Born in Berlin to a distinguished Greek family, Karatheodori spent his early years in Constantinople and Brussels due to his father’s diplomatic career. Excelling in mathematics from a young age, he initially trained as a military engineer and worked on major infrastructure projects, including the Assiut Dam in Egypt. However, his true passion lay in mathematics, leading him to enrol at the University of Berlin and later at Göttingen University, where he studied under some of the greatest mathematical minds of the time.
Academic Career and Contributions
Karatheodori held prestigious teaching positions across Europe, including at Göttingen, Hanover, Breslau, Berlin, and Munich. His work extended to convex geometry, differential equations, and thermodynamics, significantly influencing later developments in mathematical physics.
In 1920, the Greek government tasked him with establishing a university in Smyrna (modern-day İzmir, Turkey) to expand higher education in the region. However, the destruction of Smyrna in 1922 during the Greco-Turkish War forced him to abandon the project. He managed to rescue many valuable books and academic materials before relocating to Athens, where he continued teaching at the University of Athens and the National Technical University.
Legacy and Recognition
Karatheodori spent his final years as a professor at the University of Munich, where he remained until his retirement in 1938. He also lectured at Harvard and the American Mathematical Society and was even offered a position at Stanford University, which he declined.
His mathematical insights continue to shape modern fields of study, particularly in thermodynamics and relativity. In 2002, the University of Munich honoured his legacy by naming one of its largest lecture halls after him. Today, Karatheodori is celebrated as one of the most important figures in Greek mathematical history, whose work contributed significantly to pure and applied mathematics.