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Montessori was born in the province of Ancona in Italy. Her parents were Alessandro Montessori and Renilde Stoppani.
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Montessori began attending Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti, a secondary technical school, at the age of 13.
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Montessori graduation from the University of Rome with a Doctor of Medicine degree, one of the first women in Italy to gain this degree.
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After graduating, Montessori worked in the University's psychiatric clinic. During those years she visited many asylums where she was able to observe children with mental disabilities. She also studied the works of Jean Marc Gaspard Itard and Édouard Séguin, which would greatly inspire her later work.
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Montessori's son, Mario Montessori, was born. Montessori had a love affair with Giuseppe Montesano, but opted not to get married for fear that she would be unable to continue her studies. Mario was raised in a foster family who lived in the countryside.
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Montessori was asked to oversee a school at a low-income housing complex in the San Lorenzo district of Rome. It was called the Casa dei Bambini, meaning Children's House.
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Montessori published her first book, "Il Metodo della Pedagogia Scientifica applicato all’educazione infantile nelle Case dei Bambini" (shortened in English to "The Montessori Method") based on her work at the Casa dei Bambini.
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Montessori had a three week lecture tour in the United States. At the time there were more than 100 Montessori schools in the country. She wrote a diary about her experiences during the trip.
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Montessori took her son, Mario, with her on her second trip to America. He would eventually play a huge role in the development of the Montessori Method, especially the establishment of the elementary program.
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Montessori met with Mussolini. He offered his official support of the Montessori method of education.
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Montessori and her son, Mario, founded the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) during the first International Montessori Conference. The first headquarters were in Berlin.
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Montessori spoke on the subject of Peace and Education at the Second International Montessori Conference. Her talk of peace caused her to be placed under surveillance by the Italian government.
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Due to various political tensions throughout Europe, Montessori eventually moved the AMI quarters Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where it remains to this day.
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Italy entered the war on the side of Germany, at the time Montessori was in India giving a lecture tour. Mario was interned for 2 months, but was released due to the Viceroy's respect for Montessori for her 70th birthday.
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After the war ended, Montessori and her son, Mario, returned to Europe.
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Montessori received four nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1949. (Maria Jervolino also nominated her in 1950 & 1951).
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Montessori died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Noordwijk aan Zee, the Netherlands
