The Academy of Sedan ( Fr.: ''Académie de Sedan'') was a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

academy in Sedan in the

Principality of Sedan The Principality of Sedan (French: ''Principauté de Sedan'') was an independent Protestant state centered on the Château de Sedan (now the city of Sedan) in the Ardennes. It was ruled by the Prince of Sedan (''prince de Sedan''), who belong ...

, founded in 1579 and suppressed in 1681. It was one of the main centres for the production of Reformed pastors in France for a hundred years.

History

The Academy of Sedan was modeled on the Academy of Geneva (which is today the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...

), which was founded by John Calvin in 1559. It was organized by the efforts of Françoise de Bourbon-Vendôme, Princess of Sedan, daughter of

Louis III de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier Louis de Bourbon, Duc de Montpensier (10 June 1513 – 23 September 1582) was the second Duke of Montpensier, a French Prince of the Blood, military commander and governor. He began his military career during the Italian Wars, and in 1557 was ...

and wife of Henri-Robert de La Marck, Prince of Sedan (the first

Prince of Sedan The Principality of Sedan (French: ''Principauté de Sedan'') was an independent Protestant state centered on the Château de Sedan (now the city of Sedan) in the Ardennes. It was ruled by the Prince of Sedan (''prince de Sedan''), who belong ...

) in 1579. It was initially known as the College of Sedan (''Collège de Sedan''). In 1601, the National Synod of the

Reformed Church of France The Reformed Church of France (french: Église réformée de France, ERF) was the main Protestant denomination in France with a Calvinist orientation that could be traced back directly to John Calvin. In 2013, the Church merged with the Evangel ...

, meeting in

Jargeau Jargeau () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. It lies about south of Paris. Geography The town is located in the French natural region of the Loire Valley, the former province of Orleans and the urban area of Orl ...

, voted to transform the College of Sedan into its Academy for the training of pastors. The Academy of Sedan was suppressed in 1681 as part of

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

's anti-Protestant measures that would climax in the 1685

Edict of Fontainebleau The Edict of Fontainebleau (22 October 1685) was an edict issued by French King Louis XIV and is also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes (1598) had granted Huguenots the right to practice their religion without s ...

Famous Professors

Before the Organization of the Academy

* Mathieu Béroalde, professor of

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, 1573–74 * Louis Cappel de Montgemberg, professor of

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, 1576 *

Immanuel Tremellius Immanuel Tremellius ( it, Giovanni Emmanuele Tremellio; 1510 – 9 October 1580) was an Italian Jewish convert to Christianity. He was known as a leading Hebraist and Bible translator. Life He was born at Ferrara and educated at the University o ...

, professor of Hebrew, 1576–79 * Austrius Calabrinus, professor of Philosophy, 1579 * Jacques Cappel, professor of Hebrew, 1594 * Moïse Quadratus, professor of

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

, 1594 * Robert de Visme, professor of philosophy, 1594 * Giulio Pace, professor of

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

, 1595

Professors of Law (one chair)

* Augustin Caillet, 1608–24 * Charles Bordelius, 1624–30 * Jean Daubert, 1630–44 * Claude Pithoys, 1663 * J. J. Burkhart, 1673–75 * Pierre Billot, 1675

Professors of Greek (one or two chairs depending on the time)

* Toussaint Berchet, 1602-24 (Berchet played a large role in the organization of the Academy in 1601) * Didier Héraut, 1602 *

Gautier Donaldson Gautier may refer to: People * Gautier or Walter of Pontoise (c. 1030 – c. 1099), French saint * Gautier le Leu, thirteenth-century French poet * Gautier (surname) Places * Gautier, Dominican Republic, a municipal district in the San Pedr ...

, 1603–09 * Samuel Néran, 1608–11 * Jacob Roussel, 1614 * Jean Brazi, 1629–51 * José Le Vasseur, 1646–71 * Jacques Du Rondel, 1654

Professors of Hebrew (one chair)

* Jacques Cappel, 1602–24 * Jean Huttenius, 1613 * Alexandre Colvill, 1619–43 * Abraham Rambour, 1620–51 * Josué Levasseur, 1646–61 * Abraham Colvill, 1661–67 *

Pierre Jurieu Pierre Jurieu (24 December 1637 – 11 January 1713) was a French Protestant leader. Life He was born at Mer, in Orléanais, where his father was a Protestant pastor. He studied at the Academy of Saumur and the Academy of Sedan under his gra ...

, 1674–81

Professors of Theology (three chairs)

* Daniel Tilenus, 1602–19 * Jacques Cappel, 1602–24 * Aaron Blondel, 1603–05 * André Melvin, 1611–19 * Abraham Rambour, 1620–54 *

Pierre Du Moulin Pierre Du Moulin ( Latinized as Petrus Molinaeus; 16 October 1568 – 10 March 1658) was a Huguenot minister in France who also resided in England for some years. Life Born in Buhy in 1568, he was the son of Joachim Du Moulin, a Protestant minis ...

, 1621–58 * Samuel Maresius, 1625–36 * Alexandre Colvill, 1619–43 *

Louis Cappel Louis Cappel (15 October 1585 – 18 June 1658) was a French Protestant churchman and scholar. A Huguenot, he was born at St Elier, near Sedan. He studied theology at the Academy of Sedan and the Academy of Saumur, and Arabic at the University ...

, 1633–58 * Le Blanc de Beaulieu, 1645–75 * Abraham Colvill, 1658–67 * José Le Vasseur, 1646–71 * Alpée de Saint-Maurice, 1660–81 * Paul Joly, 1673–76 * Henri Sacrelaire, 1676–81 *

, 1673–81 * Pierre Trouillard, 1676–80 * Jakob Abbadie, 1680–81

Professors of Philosophy (two chairs)

* John Cameron, 1602–04 * Arthur Johnston, 1606–23 * Claude Pithoys, 1633–75 * Joseph Pithoys, 1655 * Adam Steuart, 1622–28 * P. Bisterfeld, 1624–26 * Alexandre Colvill, 1627–46 * Étienne Brazi, 1661–81 *

, 1671–81 *

Pierre Bayle Pierre Bayle (; 18 November 1647 – 28 December 1706) was a French philosopher, author, and lexicographer. A Huguenot, Bayle fled to the Dutch Republic in 1681 because of religious persecution in France. He is best known for his '' Histori ...

, 1675–81

Professors of Rhetoric (
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
) (one chair)

* Jean Brazi, 1664 * Jacques Du Rondel, 1664–81

Professors of Mathematics (one chair)

* Jean de Vesle, 1605 * Richard Doussert, 1613 * Abraham Colvill, 1661–67

Professors of Physics (one chair)

, 1608 *

Abraham Du Han Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews ...

, 1640–53 * Alexandre Colvill, 1619–43

Directors of Military Exercises

* De Saint-Martin 1613 * Du Gast 1680 * Baron 1681 * Legrand 1681-1685 * also influential was the engineer Jean Errard, who taught in the military academy

Famous Alumni

* Nicolas Antoine *

Jacques Basnages Jacques Basnage De Beauval (8 August 165322 December 1723) was a celebrated French Protestant divine, preacher, linguist, writer and man of affairs. He wrote a ''History of the Reformed Churches'' and on ''Jewish Antiquities''. Biography Jacques ...

Samuel Bochart Samuel Bochart (30 May 1599 – 16 May 1667) was a French Protestant biblical scholar, a student of Thomas Erpenius and the teacher of Pierre Daniel Huet. His two-volume '' Geographia Sacra seu Phaleg et Canaan'' (Caen 1646) exerted a profound in ...

* Abraham de Moivre *

* Charles Drelincourt *

Nicasius le Febure Nicasius le Febure, a.k.a. Nicolas le Febure or Nicasius le Fevre or Nicolas le Fèvre (1615 - 1669), was a French chemist and alchemist who was appointed to positions by both French and English royalty. Early life Le Febure was born and educate ...

* Jacques Le Paulmier de Grentemesnil *

Jacques Moisant de Brieux Jacques Moisant de Brieux (13 May 1611 – 20 May 1674) was a French poet and historian. Born at Caen (Normandy) in an aristocratic Huguenot family on 13 May 1611, Moisant de Brieux had Antoine Halley as his first preceptor before continuing his ...

Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier (6 October 161017 November 1690), was a French soldier and, from 1668 to 1680, the governor of the dauphin, the eldest son and heir of Louis XIV, King of France. Biography Charles was born on 6 October ...

* Pierre Du Prat * Simon Gaschier * the nephews of

Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne (''titular'' Duke of Bouillon, ''jure uxoris'', ''comte de Montfort et Negrepelisse, vicomte de Turenne, Castillon, et Lanquais'') (28 September 1555 – 25 March 1623) was a member of the powerful (then Huguenot) House ...

and

Countess Elisabeth of Nassau Countess Elisabeth of Nassau (''Elisabeth Flandrika'') ( Middelburg, 26 April 1577 – Sedan, 3 September 1642) was the second daughter of prince William of Orange and his third spouse Charlotte of Bourbon, and Duchess of Bouillon by marriage t ...

: **the sons of Countess Louise Juliana of Nassau:

Frederick V, Elector Palatine Frederick V (german: link=no, Friedrich; 26 August 1596 – 29 November 1632) was the Elector Palatine of the Rhine in the Holy Roman Empire from 1610 to 1623, and reigned as King of Bohemia from 1619 to 1620. He was forced to abdicate both ...

and his younger brother Ludwig Philipp of Pfalz-Simmern-Kaiserslautern **the son of

John VII, Count of Nassau-Siegen Count John VII ‘the Middle’ of Nassau-Siegen (7 June 1561 – 27 September 1623), german: Johann VII. ‘der Mittlere’ Graf von Nassau-Siegen, official titles: ''Graf zu Nassau, Katzenelnbogen, Vianden und Diez, Herr zu ...

: William, Count of Nassau-Siegen * Joachim Sigismund of Brandenburg, son of

John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg John Sigismund (german: Johann Sigismund; 8 November 1572 – 23 December 1619) was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from the House of Hohenzollern. He became the Duke of Prussia through his marriage to Duchess Anna, the eld ...

References

* Charles Peyran, ''Histoire de l'ancienne Académie réformée de Sedan'', thèse présentée à la faculté de théologie protestante, 22 juin 1846, Strasbourg : Veuve Berger-Levrault, 184

58 p. * ''Extraits de la Chronique du Père Norbert concernant le Collège de Sedan'', dans ''Revue historiques des Ardennes'', Mézières (Ardennes), Mézières : Edmond Sénemaud/impr. F. Dervin, 1867, vol.5, pp. 39–6

puis pp. 166–18

* Pierre-Daniel Bourchenin,'' Étude sur les académies protestantes en France au XVIe et au XVIIe siècle'' (Paris: Grassart, 1882). * Pierre Congar, Jean Lecaillon et Jacques Rousseau, ''Sedan et le pays sedanais, vingt siècles d’histoire'' (Paris: Guénégaud, 1969; Marseille: Laffitte Reprints, 1978) ''This article was based on :fr:Académie de Sedan, this article on

French Wikipedia The French Wikipedia (french: Wikipédia en français) is the French-language edition of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. This edition was started on 23 March 2001, two months after the official creation of Wikipedia. It has articl ...

.'' {{Authority control Educational institutions established in the 1600s Reformed church seminaries and theological colleges Defunct universities and colleges in France 1601 establishments in France 1681 disestablishments in Europe