Christiaan Huygens was born in The Hague, Netherlands, to Constantijn Huygens, a diplomat and advisor to the House of Orange, and Suzanna van Baerle. Growing up in a privileged and intellectually stimulating environment, he received an excellent education, demonstrating early aptitude in mathematics and drawing, benefiting from interactions with visiting intellectuals and his father's encouragement.

Huygens began his formal education at Leiden University, where he studied law and mathematics. Though initially focusing on law to satisfy his father's wishes, his passion for mathematics, particularly geometry, quickly became evident. He began corresponding with mathematicians like Marin Mersenne, demonstrating his early mathematical talent.