The Peano axioms are a set of five fundamental principles proposed by the Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano in 1889. They define the natural numbers and their properties, starting with the number 0 and establishing rules for counting and addition. These axioms help formalize arithmetic and provide a foundation for number theory. Each axiom describes a basic property of natural numbers, such as the existence of a successor for every number and the uniqueness of 0. The Peano axioms are essential in mathematics, as they allow for rigorous proofs and the development of more complex mathematical concepts.