The Introduction touches on scientific and political developments in northern Germany from 1810 to 1846, the year Riemann began his university studies. It provides a thumbnail sketch of the mathematical scene during the first half of the nineteenth century, but with special emphasis on Göttingen University. In several respects, Riemann's career followed in the footsteps of three legendary Göttingen figures: Carl Friedrich Gauss, Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, and Wilhelm Weber. His interactions with them varied greatly in character, and yet all three were of critical importance for Riemann's career. This account ends with a timeline chronicling the main events in Riemann's life, the subject of the four chapters that follow.