In my thesis, I would like to describe the evolution or the development of language learning, focusing on the historical, political, educational and social aspects of European countries, as well as my own experience. The beginning is a historical analysis of some nations, such as England, France, Germany (etc.) through time, highlighting the main reasons schooling is where it is today in those countries. Going from the introduction of the printing press all the way to the end of the 20th century, I try to show the most important factors in shaping European education and especially language learning. The last country is of course my own, which gets the most detailed analysis. In the next part of the paper, I write about the European Union and its language policy. This is followed by defining the main word in the title (polyglot) and mentioning a few famous representatives, whom I consider to be important, especially when it comes to my own language learning experience. In the last few chapters the modern inventions and polyglots of the 21st century are being dealt with, mentioning such helpful instruments as the Internet or Youtube. A conclusion and a list of cited works concludes my thesis.