Anastacio da Cunha is a rather unknown eighteen century portuguese mathematician who published a significant encyclopedia on elements of calculus, algebra and geometry. His innovative contributions were mainly on Calculus. He was unusually rigorous for his time (http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Cunha.html)

This mathematician did not learn much about mathematics and physics in school. In these subjects he was an auto-didact (http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Cunha.html)

Anastácio da Cunha survived the terrible 1755 Lisbon earthquake. He was in the army for 10 years. One day he was arrested and imprisioned by the inquisition during three years for his heretical views. Apparently his health did not recover from that period and he died some years after (http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Cunha.html).

Maybe one can say that he had not only an unconventional education but also an unconventional life.