The Herborn Academy ( la, Academia Nassauensis) was a

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...

institution of higher learning in Herborn from 1584 to 1817. The Academy was a centre of encyclopaedic Ramism and the birthplace of both

covenant theology Covenant theology (also known as covenantalism, federal theology, or federalism) is a conceptual overview and interpretive framework for understanding the overall structure of the Bible. It uses the theological concept of a covenant as an org ...

and

pansophism Pansophism, in older usage often pansophy, is a concept in the educational system of universal knowledge proposed by John Amos Comenius, a Czech educator. " omenius'ssecond great interest was in furthering the Baconian attempt at the organization o ...

. Its faculty of theology continues as the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Church of Hesse and Nassau. The institution held the principle that every theory has to be functional in practical use, therefore it has to be didactic (i.e. morally instructive).

History

In 1584 Count John VI of Nassau-Dillenburg founded the ''Academia Nassauensis'' as a post-secondary institution. He established it upon the request of his brother

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The titl ...

in the year of the latter's death. The sovereign granted the students two warm meals and three liters of

small beer Small beer (also known as small ale or table beer) is a lager or ale that contains a lower amount of alcohol by volume than most others, usually between 0.5% and 2.8%. Sometimes unfiltered and porridge-like, it was a favoured drink in Medieval Eu ...

per day. The Academy (Paedagogium) was originally located in the Herborn

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

. In 1588 Johann purchased the old town hall and, after expanding it, gave it over for the Academy’s use. This academy, which later took on a distinctively

cast, was further augmented with four faculties much like a conventional university. It quickly became one of the most important educational locations of the Calvinist-Reformed movement in Europe, becoming well-known as a centre of encyclopaedic Ramism and as the birthplace of

and

. Despite repeated efforts and the undisputed quality of the teaching, Herborn Academy was never given the imperial authorization to designate itself a

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

, largely because it was a

foundation. As a result, the school never possessed the authority to grant doctorates. During the period 1594 to 1599/1600 and 1606 to 1609, the Academy moved from Herborn to

Siegen Siegen () is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region. The university town (nearly 20,000 students in the 2018–2019 winter semest ...

, where it was accommodated in the buildings of the lower castle.

Johannes Piscator Johannes Piscator (; german: Johannes Fischer; 27 March 1546 – 26 July 1625) was a German Reformed theologian, known as a Bible translator and textbook writer. He was a prolific writer, and initially moved around as he held a number of position ...

published a Reformed translation of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

at Herborn from 1602 to 1604. In the first heyday, which lasted until 1626, over 300 students were enrolled in Herborn; for example about 400 in 1603. After 1626 the numbers fell sharply before reaching a second peak from 1685 to 1725. After that point average enrollment in Herborn numbered only about 100. A strong fluctuation in enrollment was the common story in Herborn: at one time in 1745 there were fewer than five students in the town. From its founding in 1584 until its closure in 1817, about 5700 students in total from across Europe studied at the academy. Many came from

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. 1000 came from Herborn itself.

Closure

On 17 December 1811

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

issued a decree for the

Duchy of Berg Berg was a state—originally a county, later a duchy—in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed as a distinct political entity from the early 12th to the 19th centuries. The name of the county lives on in the modern ...

, to which Herborn had been annexed in 1806, to establish a state university in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

and to close the Herborn Academy in its favor. After the end of Napoleonic rule, this directive was not overturned and even with the creation of the

Duchy of Nassau The Duchy of Nassau (German: ''Herzogtum Nassau'') was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in what is now the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was a member of the Confederation of the Rhine and later of the G ...

in 1817, the Academy was not restored. The Academy was abolished in 1817 with only the theological faculty continuing as a theological seminary.Störkel, in ''Festschrift'' 1984, p. 55 The successor of the Academy, the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Church of Hesse and Nassau (EKHN), is now located in Herborn Castle. The original buildings are currently used as a hotel and restaurant.

Faculty

Graduates

* Johannes Buxtorf (1564 – 1629), Hebraist *

Philipp Ludwig II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg Philipp Ludwig II of Hanau-Münzenberg (18 November 1576, in Hanau – 9 August 1612, in Hanau), was one of the most notable counts of Hanau of the early modern period, his policies bringing about sweeping changes. Count Philipp Ludwig ...

(1576 – 1612) *

Albert of Hanau-Münzenberg Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert C ...

(1579 – 1635), Rector of the University of Heidelberg * Daniel Strejc (1592 - 1669), Moravian minister, son-in-law of

John Amos Comenius John Amos Comenius (; cs, Jan Amos Komenský; pl, Jan Amos Komeński; german: Johann Amos Comenius; Latinization (literature), Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech Philosophy, philosopher, Ped ...

John VIII, Count of Nassau-Siegen John VIII, Count of Nassau-Siegen (''Jan'' or ''Johan''; Dillenburg, 29 September 1583 – Ronse, 27 July 1638) was a German nobleman and militarist of the 17th century. Life John VIII, Count of Nassau-Siegen, Katzenelnbogen, Vianden and ...

(1583 - 1638) * Johann Heinrich Alting (1583 – 1644), chair of theology at Groningen University *

Ludwig Crocius Ludwig Crocius (also Ludovicus Crocius; 29 March 1586 – 7 December 1653 or 1655) was a German Calvinist minister. He was a delegate at the Synod of Dort and professor of theology and philosophy in Bremen. Background and career Ludwig Crocius was ...

, (1586 – 1653), Calvinist minister. *

Louis Henry, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg Louis Henry of Nassau-Dillenburg (9 May 1594 in Saarbrücken – 12 July 1662 in Dillenburg), was Count, and from 1654 Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg. During the Thirty Years' War, he was a senior officer. He climbed to the rank of Major General. ...

(1594 - 1662) *

, enrolled 1611–1613, "father of modern education" * Wilhelm von Curti (Sir William Curtius) FRS (1599 - 1678) * Samuel Hartlib, (c. 1600 – 1662), polymath, the "Great Intelligencer of Europe" * Johann Heinrich Bisterfeld (1605 – 1655) philosopher, logician and encyclopaedic writer * Ludwig von Siegen (1609 – c. 1680 ?), inventor of mezzotint * Johann Just Winckelmann (1620 – 1699) writer, historian *

Henry, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg Henry, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburg (born 28 August 1641 in Dillenburg; died: 18 April 1701 at Ludwigsbrunn Castle) was ruler (i.e. Fürst) of Nassau-Dillenburg from 1662 until his death. Life Henry was the son of George Louis, Prince of Nassau- ...

(1641 - 1701) * Friedrich Ludwig Abresch (1699 - 1782), philologist * Johann Egidius Hecker (1726-1773), reformed pastor 18th century Pennsylvania * Philip William Otterbein (1726 – 1813), U.S. clergyman, founder of the United Brethren in Christ *

Andreas Balzar Andreas Balzar, nicknamed Balzar of Flammersfeld (german: Balzar von Flammersfeld), full name ''Andreas Ludwig Balzar'' (1769–1797) was a German robber. At the point of death, he confessed to killing 21 officers with his own hands. Early life A ...

(1769 - 1797), robber *

Johann Friedrich Benzenberg Johann Friedrich Benzenberg (5 May 1777 – 7 June 1846) was a German astronomer, geologist, and physicist. Biography Benzenberg was born near Elberfeld, Germany on 5 May 1777 to Heinrich Benzenberg and Johanna Elisabeth. He married Charlotte Pl ...

(1777 – 1846), astronomer, geologist, and physicist *

Adolph Diesterweg Friedrich Adolph Wilhelm Diesterweg (29 October 1790 in Siegen7 July 1866 in Berlin) was a German educator, thinker, and progressive liberal politician, who campaigned for the secularization of schools. He is said to be precursory to the reform ...

(1790 - 1866), educational reformer *

Theodor Fliedner Theodor Fliedner (21 January 18004 October 1864) was a German Lutheran minister and founder of Lutheran deaconess training. In 1836, he founded Kaiserswerther Diakonie, a hospital and deaconess training center. Together with his wives Friederik ...

(1800 – 1864), minister, founder of Lutheran deaconess training

Notes

References

* Gottfried Zedler, Hans Sommer. ''Die Matrikel der Hohen Schule und des Paedagogikums zu Herborn''. In: ''Veröffentlichungen der Historischen Kommission für Nassau''. Band 5, Wiesbaden 1908. * Carl Heiler. ''Die Matrikel der Hohen Schule zu Herborn, 1725–1817 / rekonstruiert von Carl Heiler''. In: ''Nassauische Annalen''. 55, 1935. *

Gerhard Menk Gerhard Menk (17 March 1946 – 18 October 2019) was a German historian and archivist. Life Born in Nisterau, after elementary school, Menk attended the Städtische Realschule in Bad Marienberg and took his Abitur at the Staatliches Neusprach ...

. ''Die Hohe Schule Herborn in ihrer Frühzeit (1584–1660). Ein Beitrag zum Hochschulwesen des deutschen Kalvinismus im Zeitalter der Gegenreformation''. Historische Kommission für Nassau, Wiesbaden 1981, und . * Johann Hermann Steubing. ''Geschichte der Hohen Schule Herborn''. Die Wielandschmiede, Kreuztal 1984 (= Hadamar 1823). * J. Wienecke (Hrsg.): ''Von der Hohen Schule zum Theologischen Seminar Herborn: 1584–1984: Festschrift zur 400-Jahrfeier''. Herborn 1984. * Hans Haering. ''Die Spätzeit der Hohen Schule zu Herborn (1742–1817): zwischen Orthodoxie und Aufklärung''. In: ''Europäische Hochschulschriften: Reihe 3, Geschichte und ihre Hilfswissenschaften, 615''. Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2003, . * Dieter Wessinghage. ''Die Hohe Schule zu Herborn und ihre Medizinische Fakultät''. Schattauer, Stuttgart, New York 2003, . * Wilhelm A. Eckhardt, Gerhard Menk: ''Christian Wolff und die hessischen Universitäten''. In: ''Beiträge zur hessischen Geschichte''. Band 18, Trautvetter und Fischer, Marburg an der Lahn 2004, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Herborn Academy Educational institutions established in the 1580s Defunct universities and colleges in Germany 1584 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1817 disestablishments in Europe Educational institutions disestablished in the 19th century