Villarroel was born in
Salamanca and baptised on 18 June 1694. His father was a poor bookseller and his mother was a draper's daughter. After an elementary education he went on to study Latin under
Juan González de Dios, who later became professor of humanities at the
University of Salamanca. Villarroel was then enrolled at the
Colegio Trilingüe in Salamanca. However, at this stage the young Villarroel had little love for learning and his wayward and disruptive behaviour led to trouble with the authorities. It was only when he began to read the books in his father's shop that he discovered a fondness for
mathematics and
astrology. Villarroel was in such disgrace with the college authorities that he decided to flee to
Portugal where he led an adventurous life in which he was successively a hermit, a dancing-master, an
alchemist, a mathematician, a soldier, a bullfighter, a student of medicine and an astrologer. On his return to Salamanca, he settled down to a serious programme of reading books on science, magic and mathematics, while earning his living by publishing
almanacs and annual predictions under the pseudonym of "The Great Piscator of Salamanca". In 1724, he successfully predicted the death of the young
King Luis I. In 1723 he moved to
Madrid where he made many influential friends. He studied medicine and graduated in the city of
Ávila. Back in Madrid, he became so poor that he decided to take up smuggling to make money but he was saved by the patronage of the Countess of Arcos, whose house he had tried to rid of a
poltergeist. After a few years, Villarroel once more returned to Salamanca where he learned that the chair of mathematics at the university was empty and decided to apply for the post. He easily defeated his only rival and was made professor, even though his knowledge of the subject was still rudimentary. In 1732 Villarroel was banished from Spain for helping his friend Don Juan de Salazar in a dispute which had turned violent. The two had tried to escape to France but had returned to Spain to face the consequences. Villarroel spent his exile in
Coimbra, Portugal until a royal decree allowed him back to Salamanca in 1734. From then on he dedicated his time to his post at the university, to writing various works and paying frequent visits to Madrid, where he made the acquaintance of the
Duchess of Alba. In 1743 he published the first four chapters of his autobiography, which enjoyed a tremendous success (chapter five appeared some time before 1752 and chapter six in 1758). In 1750 he was allowed to retire on a pension by royal decree. His life became much quieter and in 1752 he published a complete edition of his works by public subscription. This was highly unusual for the time and attests to Villarroel's popularity as an author. He died on 19 June 1770 at the age of 77. ==Influence of Leonese language==