University of Douai
Encyclopedia
The University of Douai is a former university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

 in Douai
Douai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. With a Middle Ages heritage of scholar activities in Douai
Douai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...

, the university was established in 1559 and lectures started in 1562. It closed from 1795 to 1808. In 1887, it was transferred as University of Lille
University of Lille
The original university in the Lille region of France was the University of Douai established in 1559 in Douai and that was moved to Lille in 1887.University campuses in the Academy of Lille are members of the Université Lille Nord de France and European Doctoral College Lille Nord-Pas de...

 27 km away from Douai
Douai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...

.

From mid-16th century onwards, the university of Douai had European-wide influence as a prominent center of neo-Latin literature, contributing also to the dissemination of printed knowledge. With 1,500 to 2,000 registered students and several hundreds professors, it was the second largest university of France during the 17th and 18th centuries. Studies in mathematics and physics at Douai faculty of arts enabled broad development in artillery practice. Douai faculty of theology was an important center for Catholic studies, especially with the editions of the Douay-Rheims Bible. It played a role in religious doctrines and political controversies in Europe ; its scholars participated to the development of humanity studies and modernity approaches.

History

Douai, scholar pole from the late Middle Ages to the Renaissance

Before the formal establishment of a university in this county of the kingdom of France, there existed scholar traditions in Douai
Douai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...

 dating back to the late Middle Ages. Near Douai Anchin Abbey
Anchin Abbey
Anchin Abbey was a Benedictine monastery founded in 1079 in the commune of Pecquencourt in what is now the Nord department of France.-History:...

 was an important cultural center from the 11th century to the 13th century, producing many manuscripts and charters ; it was challenged by the scriptorium
Scriptorium
Scriptorium, literally "a place for writing", is commonly used to refer to a room in medieval European monasteries devoted to the copying of manuscripts by monastic scribes...

 of Marchiennes Abbey and Flines Abbey. In addition to these scholar activities from these abbeys, existed other monastic abbeys and priories in Douai up, thus ensuring during the 16th century that "close to the city, several very rich abbeys could provide space and resources to the new university".

However, the bonds of vassalage from the County of Flanders
County of Flanders
The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....

 to the Kingdom of France were abolished in 1526. Indeed, the County of Flanders
County of Flanders
The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....

 became an imperial province under the Treaty of Madrid (1526), signed by King Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...

 and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...

, and confirmed by the Treaty of Cambrai (1529)
War of the League of Cognac
The War of the League of Cognac was fought between the Habsburg dominions of Charles V—primarily Spain and the Holy Roman Empire—and the League of Cognac, an alliance including France, Pope Clement VII, the Republic of Venice, England, the Duchy of Milan and Republic of Florence.- Prelude :Shocked...

. It is therefore towards the emperor that the Douai magistrate Douai sent a request in 1531 to create a university in Douai. However, the formal approval of the university was only granted during the reign of Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....

, due to the evolving political and religious context.

Old university of Douai (1559–1795)

Establishment of the university (1559)

As part of a general programme of consolidation of the Spanish Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....

, in 1560–1562, a university was first established in the town by Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....

, in some sense a sister-university to that founded
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...

 at Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...

 in 1426. The foundation was confirmed by a Bull of Pope Paul IV
Pope Paul IV
Pope Paul IV, C.R. , né Giovanni Pietro Carafa, was Pope from 23 May 1555 until his death.-Early life:Giovanni Pietro Carafa was born in Capriglia Irpina, near Avellino, into a prominent noble family of Naples...

 on July 31, 1559, confirmed by Pope Pius IV on January 6, 1560. The letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...

 of Philip II, dated January 19, 1561, authorized five faculties; theology, canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...

, civil law
Civil law (legal system)
Civil law is a legal system inspired by Roman law and whose primary feature is that laws are codified into collections, as compared to common law systems that gives great precedential weight to common law on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different...

, medicine, and arts. The formal inauguration took place on October 5, 1562, when there was a public procession of the Blessed Sacrament, and a sermon was preached in the market-place by François Richardot
François Richardot
François Richardot , was a celebrated Burgundian-French Catholic preacher, and confessor to Margaret of Parma. He was Bishop of Arras from 1561-1574.He was an Augustinian Hermit, and became titular bishop of Nicopolis in 1554....

, the Bishop of Arras. The university's first chancellor was the Englishman Richard Smith.

Recent studies are coming to view the 16th century foundation of the University of Douai as an important institution of its time, and efforts are being made to reconstruct a portrait of the different aspects of its life, including prosopographies
Prosopography
In historical studies, prosopography is an investigation of the common characteristics of a historical group, whose individual biographies may be largely untraceable, by means of a collective study of their lives, in multiple career-line analysis...

 of its professors and students, especially for its Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...

 period.

College du Roi (1562) , College d'Anchin (1568) and College de Marchiennes (1570)

The first university college established at Douai was the "College du Roi" (King's college) ; it opened in 1562. A second college was established in 1564 but was replaced by the College d'Anchin (1568). Another college supported by the Abbey of Marchiennes opened in 1570. These colleges were not only places of accommodation for students but also places of lectures. Royal appointed lecturers represent only a tenth of the three hundred teachers in the faculty. The faculty of the Jesuit College included up to 145 teachers and was considered as the most important center of power in the university.

"In the 18th century, the University of Douai is the second of the kingdom of France, if one considers the number of students in its colleges, including a total student registration ranging between 1500 and 2000.

English College in Douai (1562–1793)

Although the university was founded on the model of Louvain, from which it also drew the majority of the first professors, it also felt the influence of the English in its early years, several of the chief posts being held by Englishmen, mostly from Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

. This makes it reasonable to suppose that many of the traditions of Catholic Oxford were perpetuated at Douai. The University's first Chancellor was Dr Richard Smyth, former Fellow of Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...

 and Regius Professor of Divinity
Regius Professor of Divinity
The Regius Professorship of Divinity is one of the oldest and most prestigious of the professorships at the University of Oxford and at the University of Cambridge.Both chairs were founded by Henry VIII...

 at Oxford. The Regius Professor of Canon Law at Douai for many years was Dr Owen Lewis
Owen Lewis (bishop)
Owen Lewis, also known as Lewis Owen was a Welsh Roman Catholic priest, jurist, administrator and diplomat, who became bishop of Cassano.-Early life:...

, a former Fellow of New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...

 who had held the corresponding post at Oxford. The first principal of Marchiennes College was Richard White (Richard Gwyn), another former Fellow of New College, while after taking his licentiate at Douai in 1560, William Allen became Regius Professor of Divinity there.

The founding of the University of Douai coincided with the presence of a large number of English Catholics living at Douai, in the wake of the accession of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

 and the reimposition of Protestantism
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....

 in England. This presence, and the role of the University prompted William Allen to found a seminary in Douai in 1569 for English Catholic priests, whose studies were in part linked to the University and who were trained there to return to their country. It was at this English College at Douai
English College, Douai
The English College, Douai was a Catholic seminary associated with the University of Douai . It was established in about 1561, and was suppressed in 1793...

 that the English translation of the Bible known as the Douay-Rheims Version was completed in 1609. The first English Catholic Bible incorporating the Rheims New Testament and the Douay Old Testament in a single volume was not printed until 1764.

Scottish College in Douai (1573–1802)

The Scottish
Scottish College, Douai
The Scottish College or Scot's College at Douai was a seminary founded in Douai, France, for the training of Scottish Roman Catholic exiles for the priesthood...

 was established in 1573 by bishop John Lesley, who objected to the Scottish Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...

 and to destabilization of the Auld Alliance
Auld Alliance
The Auld Alliance was an alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France. It played a significant role in the relations between Scotland, France and England from its beginning in 1295 until the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh. The alliance was renewed by all the French and Scottish monarchs of that...

 between France and Scotland by Protestant England. It was refounded in 1608. The Scots living in France had automatically dual French and Scots citizenship under the Auld Alliance
Auld Alliance
The Auld Alliance was an alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France. It played a significant role in the relations between Scotland, France and England from its beginning in 1295 until the 1560 Treaty of Edinburgh. The alliance was renewed by all the French and Scottish monarchs of that...

. The college in Douai hosted scholars from the Scottish Stuart supporter movement and also refugees from Jacobite Risings, especially between 1688 and 1692. Historical collections were left there by king James II of England and VII of Scotland
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...

 (last Catholic monarch of Great Britain) and by exiled Scottish Catholics.

Irish College in Douai (1603–1905)

St. Patrick Irish college of Douai was founded in 1603 by Christopher Cusack, with the support of Philip III of Spain
Philip III of Spain
Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...

, an ally of the Irish Catholics against the colonization of Ireland by the English power. Hugh Ó Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone, leader of the Irish resistance during the Nine Years' War in Ireland, stayed at Douai university on his way to exile from Ireland to Rome in 1607. The Irish College was attached to the Faculty of Theology of the University of Douai in 1610.

Bronchorst scholarship foundation (1629)

By his will dated June 20, 1629, Henry Bronchorst founded a scholarship for a period of nine years for members of the Seven noble houses of Brussels
Seven noble houses of Brussels
The Seven noble houses of Brussels were the seven families of Brussels whose descendants formed the patrician class of that city, and to whom special privileges in the government of that city were granted until the end of the Ancien Régime.-History:...

 to study at the University of Douai, which explains the significant number of members of the Brussels magistrate who were educated at this university.

Other foundations

The town was a vibrant centre of Catholic life and connected with the University were not only the English College, but also the Irish
Irish College, Douai
The Irish College was a seminary at Douai, France, for Irish Roman Catholics in exile on the continent to study for the priesthood, modelled on the English College there...

 and Scottish
Scottish College, Douai
The Scottish College or Scot's College at Douai was a seminary founded in Douai, France, for the training of Scottish Roman Catholic exiles for the priesthood...

 colleges (i.e. seminaries), and Benedictine, Jesuit and Franciscan houses. For a time there was also a Charterhouse. The Collège d'Anchin was opened a few months after the English College, endowed by the Abbot of the neighbouring monastery of Anchin, and entrusted to the Jesuits. In 1570 the Abbot of Marchiennes founded a college for the study of law. The Abbot of Saint-Vast founded a college of that name. Later on, we find the College of St. Thomas Aquinas, belonging to the Dominicans, the Collège du Roi, and others.

The Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...

s established a college at Douai, founded by Augustine Bradshaw
Augustine Bradshaw
Dom Augustine Bradshaw was a Benedictine monk. Born John Bradshaw near Worcester in 1575 to recusant Roman Catholic parents, he was sent to Royal Grammar School Worcester . He was sent to St...

 in 1605, in hired apartments belonging to the Collège d'Anchin, but a few years later, through the generosity of Abbot Caravel of the monastery of Saint-Vaast, they obtained land and built a monastery, which was opened in 1611. The house acquired a high reputation for learning, being rebuilt between 1776 and 1781, and many of the professors of the university were at different times chosen from among its members. (The Anglo-Benedictines went into English exile on the French Revolution and were the only Douai institution to retain their ancient monastery after it; and as the community of St Gregory was then permanently established at Downside
Downside Abbey
The Basilica of St Gregory the Great at Downside, commonly known as Downside Abbey, is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery and the Senior House of the English Benedictine Congregation. One of its main apostolates is a school for children aged nine to eighteen...

, they handed over their house at Douai to the community of St Edmund, which had formerly been located in Paris. These Benedictines carried on a school at Douai until 1903, when Waldeck-Rousseau
René Waldeck-Rousseau
this gy was coolPierre Marie René Ernest Waldeck-Rousseau was a French Republican statesman.-Early life:Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau was born in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique...

's 1901 Law of Associations caused them to leave France. They returned to England, and settled at Woolhampton
Woolhampton
Woolhampton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. The village is situated on the London to Bath road between the towns of Reading and Newbury...

, near Reading, founding Douai Abbey
Douai Abbey
Douai Abbey is a Benedictine Abbey at Woolhampton, near Thatcham, in the English county of Berkshire, situated within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth. Monks from the monastery of St. Edmund's, in Douai, France, came to Woolhampton in 1903 when the community left France as a result of...

 there, known for its school - Douai School
Douai School
Douai School was the public school that was run by the Douai Abbey Benedictine community at Woolhampton, England, until it closed in 1999.- History :...

 - which closed in 1999.)

The Benedictine and Franciscan houses at Douai were near together and were both bound up in their history with the restoration of the respective orders in England. The Franciscan monastery was founded mainly through the instrumentality of Father John Gennings
John Gennings
John Gennings was an Englishman who was converted to Catholicism through the martyrdom of his elder brother Saint Edmund Gennings during the English Reformation. He restored the English province of Franciscan friars...

, the brother of the martyr, Edmund Gennings
Edmund Gennings
Saint Edmund Gennings was an English martyr, who was executed during the English Reformation for being a Catholic priest. He came from Lichfield, Staffordshire. His name is sometimes spelled Jennings....

. It was established in temporary quarters in 1618, the students for the time attending the Jesuit schools; but by 1621 they had built a monastery and provided for all necessary tuition within their own walls.

Heyday

Something of the feel of the university's quality can be gained from the work of some of its professors. Among the numerous luminaries were Estius (Willem Hessels van Est
Willem Hessels van Est
Willem Hessels van Est was a Flemish commentator on the Pauline epistles.-Biography:He was born at Gorcum, Holland....

), (1542–1613), the famous commentator on the Pauline epistles. He had studied classics at Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...

 and afterwards spent some twenty years at Louvain, in the study of philosophy, theology and Holy Scripture and in 1580 received the degree of Doctor of Theology. In 1582 he became Professor of Theology at Douai, a position which he retained for thirty-one years and which he combined for the last eighteen years of his life with that of Chancellor of the University, in addition to being for many years rector of the diocesan seminary. Estius's works were written in Latin and for the greater part published posthumously.

Closed university during the French Revolution (1795–1808)

The university was suppressed during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

 and its libraries' holdings transferred to the town's Bibliothèque Municipale (founded by Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...

 in 1767), which also received the collections of the Jesuits of the College of Anchin. A good part of these collections was however destroyed when the library was burnt as a consequence of bombardment on August 11, 1944.

Modern university of Douai (1808–1887)

Douai Faculties of Letters and sciences were re-established in 1808. Douai regained a Faculty of Law in 1854, but in 1887 this was transferred to Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...

. Currently the Artois campus of the Université Lille Nord de France
Université Lille Nord de France
The University of Lille -Nord de France , located in Lille, France, is a center for higher education, academic research and doctoral studies located over multiple campuses in the Academie de Lille....

 that also includes Lille 1
Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille
The Université Lille 1 is a French university located on a dedicated main campus in Villeneuve d'Ascq with 20,000 full-time students plus 14,500 students in continuing education...

, Lille 2
Université du Droit et de la Santé de Lille
The Université du Droit et de la Santé de Lille or Université de Lille II is a French university for health, sports, management and law. It is located in Lille, Campus Lille II Droit Santé '...

, and Lille 3
Charles de Gaulle University - Lille III
The Charles de Gaulle University - Lille III is a French university. Since 1974, the main campus of University of Lille III is located in Villeneuve d'Ascq in southern Lille, at Pont de Bois metro station, and includes 21,000 students.University of Lille III inherits from the humanities taught for...

 regard themselves as successors to Philip II's University of Douai.

Transformation as University of Lille

In 1887, all faculties in Douai are relocated in the neighbouring city of Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...

. University of Lille
University of Lille
The original university in the Lille region of France was the University of Douai established in 1559 in Douai and that was moved to Lille in 1887.University campuses in the Academy of Lille are members of the Université Lille Nord de France and European Doctoral College Lille Nord-Pas de...

 is then established with all faculties including sciences, law, medicine and pharmacy, literature and humanities.

Faculty of Arts (1562–1795)

The Faculty of Arts in Douai had intense activity and delivered Masters of Art degrees, which was a prerequisite to attend theology and law. Just as in Louvain and Paris universities, this MA degree from the Faculty of Arts was the first and mandatory step before undertaking studies in other faculties.

Its fame was in philosophy and mathematics, through (or in competition with) the Jesuit college in particular. "The Faculty of Arts offers three chairs (history, Hebrew, Greek) until 1704, when a chair of mathematics was created (...). A chair in hydrography has been in place since 1704".

"In the faculties, it is the mathematics in the sixteenth century, and the reshaping of this chair by the Marquis de Pommereuil in 1705 that gives new shine to optics, geometry, astronomy, architecture, military use of alloy chemistry, trigonometry, so as to train good officers. Mathematics and science in Douai were illustrated by the mathematician Charles Malapert
Charles Malapert
Charles Malapert was a Belgian Jesuit writer, astronomer and proponent of Aristotelian cosmology. He was considered one of the intellectual champions of the Roman Catholic Church...

 in the early seventeenth century, who discovered sunspots probably before Kirchner, whom he met in Ingolstadt, and in the second half of the century by Anthony Thomas, a Jesuit successor of Verbiest in China, to chair the tribunal of Mathematics in Beijing. This correspondent of the Academy of Sciences has left a major work ".

In 1679 the first school for artillery officers in France was established in Douai by king Louis XIV.

"In the eighteenth century (...) in philosophy, Douai faculty gave preference to the mathematical logic. Hence the growth in this area of knowledge in the program included (...) physics: mechanics, mathematics, physics itself, optics, perspective, astronomy, cosmography, elements of natural history (chemistry, history, geography, philology). This maths focus was major to train military land and navy officers ; Douai also possessed a rich library, a museum of ethnology and archeology and a museum of natural sciences (...) Despite the Church distrust regarding sciences, Douai followed closely the developments of science, which stimulated discoveries ".

It was not until 1750 that the French language supplanted, but not completely, Latin, which resisted until the French Revolution.

By the French law of 8 Prairial IV (1795), it is in the neighbouring city of Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...

 and not in Douai that an Ecole centrale de Lille was established, as a successor of Douai Faculty of Art. Douai itself regained a faculty of sciences only in 1808.

Faculty of Theology (1562–1793)

It is in this faculty that the Douay-Rheims Bible was established.

Three two-year course at the Faculty of Theology ensure the successive grades of bachelor, licentiate and doctor.

We can have an idea of the quality of the university in what were seeing what some of his professors. Among the most famous, who are many, just to cite Estius
Willem Hessels van Est
Willem Hessels van Est was a Flemish commentator on the Pauline epistles.-Biography:He was born at Gorcum, Holland....

 (1542–1613), the famous commentator of the epistles of Paul. After classical studies at Utrecht, he then spent two decades in Leuven, studying philosophy, theology and Scripture and in 1580 he received the degree of doctor of theology. In 1582 he became professor of theology at Douai, a position he held for thirty-one years, and he joined her in the last eighteen years of his life with that of Chancellor of the university, while also being the many years rector of the diocesan seminary. The works of Estius were written in Latin and for the most part, their publications were posthumous. Note also Lessius Leonardus (1554–1823), professing the philosophy, and Francois du Bois, said Franciscus Sylvius (1581–1649) [38], professor of theology and vice-chancellor of the university, but also Nemius Gaspard Dubois, George Colveneere, and Philippe Bossuet Cospéan which involved in the controversy of Douai.

Major doctrinal debates have taken place within the Faculty of Theology, first Gallicanism
Gallicanism
Gallicanism is the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by the monarchs' authority or the State's authority—over the Catholic Church is comparable to that of the Pope's...

 opponents with the Déclaration des Quatre articles that originally was opposed at Douai in 1683, then between Jesuits and Jansenists. After the first European fame instilled by Estius
Willem Hessels van Est
Willem Hessels van Est was a Flemish commentator on the Pauline epistles.-Biography:He was born at Gorcum, Holland....

, "the Faculty of Theology is the most prestigious of all, René Descartes
René Descartes
René Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...

 goes there several times to discuss his Discourse on the Method with academics, Francis Sylvius
Francis Sylvius
Francis Sylvius was a Flemish Roman Catholic theologian.-Life:...

 especially," the One of the greatest theologians of his century and the first ornament of the university, which took part against the Augustinus of the Bishop of Ypres, Jansenius
Cornelius Jansen
Corneille Janssens, commonly known by the Latinized name Cornelius Jansen or Jansenius, was Catholic bishop of Ypres and the father of a theological movement known as Jansenism.-Biography:...

. [40] Pro-Jansenius academics were exiled by lettre de cachet in 1692 in an episode referred to as the Fourberie de Douai (Cheating of Douai).

Faculty of Law (1562–1795)

The faculties of canon law and civil law had an intense activity from the establishment of the University of Douai to the French Revolution. The Parliament of Flanders seat at Douai from 1713 and subsequently became the Court of Appeal of Douai, which encourages law schools in Douai.
One student emblematic of Douai law faculty is Philippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai
Philippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai
Philippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai was a French politician and lawyer.-Early years:Merlin de Douai was born at Arleux, Nord, and was called to the Flemish bar association in 1775...

. Law schools have trained many lawyers in Flanders, such as Adrian Maillart, Francois Modius, Francois Patou, Jacques Pollet, Mathieu Pinault, Cesar Baggio and Bertrand Cahuac.

Faculty of Medicine (1562–1793)

The faculty of medicine in Douai lives in the shadow of other more famous faculties, but is not at the tip of his time: it has a medical anatomical theater as early as 1700 . The names of Amé Bourdon
Amé Bourdon
Amé Bourdon was a French physician and anatomist.Bourdon was born in Cambrai, France, in 1636 or 1638, the son of an engineer in the service of the Spanish Crown. Having studied science extensively, he decided to attend the university in Douai at the age of 37. He practiced as a physician in...

 for surgery and anatomy, Michel Brisseau in ophthalmology and Jean-Baptiste Lestiboudois in medicine and botany reflect the teachings at the Faculty of Medicine.

In 1805, a school of medicine was establied in Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...

 , as the successor of the school of surgery founded in Lille in 1705. It overshadowed medical education in Douai. Its heir is now the Lille 2 University of Health and Law.

Faculty of sciences (1808–1815)

A faculty of sciences was re-established in 1808. However, higher education in sciences moved to Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...

 and its faculty of sciences inaugurated by Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist born in Dole. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies and anthrax. His experiments...

. its heir is today Lille University of Science and Technology - Lille I

Faculty of Law (1854–1887)

The faculty of law in Douai was moved to Lille in 1887. Its heir is today Lille University of Health and Law - Lille II

Faculty of literature (1808–1815, 1854–1887)

A faclties of literature was reestablished in 1808 and transferred to Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...

 in 1887. Its heir is today Charles de Gaulle University – Lille III

Dissemination of printed knowledge

Douai was a proeminent center of neo-Latin literature.

Douai was known not only for his intellectual activity, but also for his many master printers, involved in the dissemination of knowledge primarily in Latin, but also in French in the southern Netherlands.

Douay-Rheims Bible and catholic studies

Douai was an important center for Catholic Studies. When the Holy See authorized the translation of the Bible into vernacular languages, the Douay-Rheims Bible  was the first authorized Catholic bible translated from Latin into English in 1609 and its subsequent revisions were references to the Catholic Bible in English . This is a Douai-Rheims Bible John Fitzgerald Kennedy took the oath as President of the United States in 1961.

In seminars Douai that was formed much of the English Catholic clergy from the Counter-Reformation. The preacher trained in Douai clergy also swarmed into colonies, such as Pierre-Philippe Potier in New France, Charles Carroll Maryland Colon and Nicolas Trigault in China.

Religious and political influence

University of Douai was the center of religious debate to the political implications. Created to counter the Protestant Reformation, the court also dismissed the royal power by his fight against Bossuet and the Gallican. Its independence on the face of temporal power is due to its history on the border between the Spanish Netherlands and the Kingdom of France. The chancellors and officials of the university were advisers of the Catholic kings of Spain and France. The board of the University of Douai had relations with the courts of Louis XIV and Louis XV, including through Philip Cospéan and Bossuet, and was also related to Popes who originally contributed to the financial support of some of his colleagues. During the French Revolution in 1791, the clergy began university Douaisian conditions before considering to take an oath to the Civil Constitution of the clergy, following the brief quod aliquantum of March 10, 1791 and Caritas of April 13, 1791 issued by the Pope. These conditions were interpreted as a rejection of loyalty to Republican power.

Humanities and modernity

Even though many works of the 18th century encyclopaedists, such as the Encyclopedia of Diderot and D'Alembert, and later works, such as the Grand dictionnaire universal dictionary of the 19th century, were blacklisted, the university was gradually imbued with ideas of modernity, the scientific revolution and the great discoveries. Witness the early work in mathematics, and anatomy, setting default the system of Galen, and the accompanying changes in botanical and zoological classifications, respectively, studied at Douai by Richard Gibbons [53] and Charles Malapert, Ame Bourdon Jean-Baptiste Lestiboudois.

Notable students and faculty

  • Nicholas Fitzherbert
    Nicholas Fitzherbert
    Nicholas Fitzherbert was an English recusant gentleman who served as secretary to Cardinal William Allen and was found guilty of treason due to his Catholicism. He was the second son of John Fitzherbert of Padley, Derbyshire. Fitzherbert was the grandson of the judge Sir Anthony Fitzherbert , and...

  • François d'Aguilon
    François d'Aguilon
    François d'Aguilon , was a Belgian Jesuit mathematician, physicist and architect....

  • Nicolas Trigault
    Nicolas Trigault
    Nicolas Trigault was a Flemish Jesuit, and a missionary to China. He was also known by his latinised name Trigautius or Trigaultius, and his Chinese name Jīn Nígé .-Life and work:...

  • Franciscus Sylvius
  • Peter Wadding
    Peter Wadding
    Peter Wadding was an Irish Jesuit theologian.-Life:Born at Waterford in 1581 or 1583, he was son of Thomas Wadding and his wife, Mary Vallesia. Both father and mother are said to have been of good family...

  • Grégoire de Saint-Vincent
    Grégoire de Saint-Vincent
    Grégoire de Saint-Vincent , a Jesuit, was a mathematician who discovered that the area under a rectangular hyperbola is the same over [a,b] as over [c,d] when a/b = c/d...

  • Honoré Tournély
    Honoré Tournély
    Honoré Tournély was a French Catholic theologian. He was a Gallican opponent of Jansenism.-Life:He was born in Antibes, Provence, to poor and obscure parents. An uncle, a priest at Paris, invited him there and gave him a good education...

  • Charles Carroll the Settler
    Charles Carroll the Settler
    Charles Carroll , sometimes called Charles Carroll the Settler to differentiate him from his son and grandson, was a wealthy lawyer and planter in colonial Maryland...

  • Edward Hawarden
    Edward Hawarden
    Edward Hawarden was an English Roman Catholic theologian and controversialist.-Life:...

  • John Bowles
    John Bowles (author)
    John Bowles was an English barrister and author.He gained his bachelor of laws degree on 25 March 1779 from the University of Douai and the university licensed him on 11 May 1781. He wrote more than 33 pamphlets—16 on the British war against revolutionary France—between 1791 and 1817...

  • Philippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai
    Philippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai
    Philippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai was a French politician and lawyer.-Early years:Merlin de Douai was born at Arleux, Nord, and was called to the Flemish bar association in 1775...

  • William Allen
  • John Payne
  • Robert Southwell
  • Cuthbert Mayne
    Cuthbert Mayne
    'Saint Cuthbert Mayne was an English Roman Catholic priest and martyr of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation.- Early life :...

  • Nicholas Fitzherbert
    Nicholas Fitzherbert
    Nicholas Fitzherbert was an English recusant gentleman who served as secretary to Cardinal William Allen and was found guilty of treason due to his Catholicism. He was the second son of John Fitzherbert of Padley, Derbyshire. Fitzherbert was the grandson of the judge Sir Anthony Fitzherbert , and...

  • Giles Hussey
    Giles Hussey
    Giles Hussey was a painter from Dorset, England. He has works in the Tate Gallery. His portraits are well regarded, but his theories on art never received the attention he craved. Hussey created the first portrait of Charles Edward Stuart, the pretender to the British throne...

  • William Bawden
  • George Blackwell
    George Blackwell
    Father George Blackwell was Roman Catholic Archpriest of England from 1597 to 1608.-Biography:Blackwell was born in Middlesex, England about 1545, perhaps the son of the pewterer Thomas Blackwell. He was admitted as a scholar to Trinity College, Oxford on 27 May 1562...

  • Thomas Dempster
    Thomas Dempster
    Thomas Dempster was a Scottish scholar and historian. Born into the aristocracy in Aberdeenshire, which comprises regions of both the Scottish highlands and the Scottish lowlands, he was sent abroad as a youth for his education. The Dempsters were Catholic in an increasingly Protestant country and...

  • Richard Challoner
    Richard Challoner
    Richard Challoner was an English Roman Catholic bishop, a leading figure of English Catholicism during the greater part of the 18th century. He is perhaps most famous for his revision of the Douay Rheims translation of the Bible.-Early life:Challoner was born in the Protestant town of Lewes,...

  • Amé Bourdon
    Amé Bourdon
    Amé Bourdon was a French physician and anatomist.Bourdon was born in Cambrai, France, in 1636 or 1638, the son of an engineer in the service of the Spanish Crown. Having studied science extensively, he decided to attend the university in Douai at the age of 37. He practiced as a physician in...

  • Cornelis de Jode
    Cornelis de Jode
    Cornelis de Jode was a cartographer, engraver and publisher from Antwerp. He was the son of Gerard de Jode, also a cartographer. Cornelis studied science at Academy of Douai...

  • Charles Townley
  • Georges Palante
    Georges Palante
    Georges Toussaint Léon Palante was a French philosopher and sociologist.He advocated aristocratic individualist ideas similar to Nietzsche and Schopenhauer. He was opposed to Émile Durkheim's holism, promoting methodological individualism instead.-Life:Palante was born in Blangy-les-Arras in the...


Sources

  • FASTI, a project on the history of universities
  • H. de Ridder-Symoens, "The Place of the University of Douai in the Peregrinatio Academica Britannica", in Lines of Contact (nr 117) 21-34.
  • Andreas Loewe, "Richard Smyth and the Foundation of the University of Douai", Nederlands Archief voor Kerkgeschiedenis, 79 II (1999).
  • Andreas Loewe, Richard Smyth and the Language of Orthodoxy : Re-Imagining Tudor Catholic Polemicism, Brill, Leiden, 2003 (= Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions).
  • Article in the public domain
    Public domain
    Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...

     Catholic Encyclopedia
    Catholic Encyclopedia
    The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...

     of 1913

See also

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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