Academy of Sedan
Encyclopedia
The Academy of Sedan was a Huguenot
academy in Sedan, 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.
), 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
and wife of Henri-Robert de La Marck, Prince of Sedan (the first Prince of Sedan
) 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
, meeting in Jargeau
, 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
's anti-Protestant measures that would climax in the 1685 Edict of Fontainebleau
.
Professors of Rhetoric (Latin
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
academy in Sedan, founded in 1579 and suppressed in 1681. It was one of the main centres for the production of Reformed
Reformed churches
The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations characterized by Calvinist doctrines. They are descended from the Swiss Reformation inaugurated by Huldrych Zwingli but developed more coherently by Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger and especially John Calvin...
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 GenevaUniversity of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
), which was founded by John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
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 III de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier
Louis de Bourbon was the second Duke of Montpensier. He was the great great grandfather of la Grande Mademoiselle.-Biography:...
and wife of Henri-Robert de La Marck, Prince of Sedan (the first Prince of Sedan
Prince of Sedan
The Prince of Sedan was the ruler of the independent Principality of Sedan , a Renaissance state centered on modern Sedan, Ardennes.-History:...
) 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
Reformed Church of France
The Reformed Church of France is a denomination in France with Calvinist origins. It is the original and largest Protestant denomination in France....
, meeting in Jargeau
Jargeau
Jargeau is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.It lies about south of Paris.-External links:*...
, 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
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
's anti-Protestant measures that would climax in the 1685 Edict of Fontainebleau
Edict of Fontainebleau
The Edict of Fontainebleau was an edict issued by Louis XIV of France, also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes of 1598, had granted the Huguenots the right to practice their religion without persecution from the state...
.
Before the Organization of the Academy
- Mathieu Béroalde, professor of Hebrew, 1573-74
- Louis Cappel de Montgemberg, professor of TheologyTheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, 1576 - Immanuel TremelliusImmanuel TremelliusImmanuel Tremellius 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 of Padua...
, professor of Hebrew, 1576-79 - Austrius Calabrinus, professor of PhilosophyPhilosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, 1579 - Jacques Cappel, professor of Hebrew, 1594
- Moïse Quadratus, professor of PhysicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, 1594 - Robert de Visme, professor of Philosophy, 1594
- Giulio PaceGiulio PaceGiulio Pace of Beriga was a well-known Italian Aristotelian scholar and jurist.-Life:He was born in Vicenza, Italy, and studied law and philosophy in Padua....
, professor of LawLawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, 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, 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 JurieuPierre JurieuPierre Jurieu 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 grandfather, Pierre Du Moulin, and under Leblanc de Beaulieu...
, 1674-81
Professors of Theology (three chairs)
- Daniel TilenusDaniel TilenusDaniel Tilenus was a German-French Protestant theologian. Initially a Calvinist, he became a prominent and influential Arminian teaching at the Academy of Sedan. He was an open critic of the Synod of Dort of 1618-9....
, 1602-19 - Jacques Cappel, 1602-24
- Aaron Blondel, 1603-05
- André Melvin, 1611-19
- Abraham Rambour, 1620-54
- Pierre Du MoulinPierre Du MoulinPierre Du Moulin 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 minister in the Orleans area...
, 1621-58 - Samuel MaresiusSamuel MaresiusSamuel Maresius was a French-Dutch Reformed theologian ad controversialist.-Life:He was born at Oisement in Picardy, northern France. He studied in Paris, in Saumur Academy under Gomarus, and in Geneva at the time of the Synod of Dort. He was ordained in 1620, and preachedat Laon until a...
, 1625-36 - Alexandre Colvill, 1619-43
- Louis CappelLouis CappelLouis Cappel was a French Protestant churchman and scholar.-Life:Cappel, a Huguenot, 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 of Oxford, where he spent two years...
, 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
- Pierre JurieuPierre JurieuPierre Jurieu 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 grandfather, Pierre Du Moulin, and under Leblanc de Beaulieu...
, 1673-81 - Pierre Trouillard, 1676-80
- Jakob AbbadieJakob AbbadieJakob Abbadie , also known as Jacques or James Abbadie, was a Protestant divine and writer. He became dean of Killaloe, in Ireland.-Life:...
, 1680-81
Professors of Philosophy (two chairs)
- John Cameron, 1602-04
- Arthur Johnston, 1606-23
- Claude Pithoys, 1633-75
- Joseph Pithoys, 1655
- Adam SteuartAdam Steuart-Life:He became professor at the Academy of Saumur in 1617.He was in London in the year 1644. where he engaged in propaganda for the Presbyterians against the Independents. The first attack on the Apologeticall Narration of the Five Dissenting Brethren was Steuart's. The Second Part of the Duply...
, 1622-28 - P. Bisterfeld, 1624-26
- Alexandre Colvill, 1627-46
- Étienne Brazi, 1661-81
- Pierre JurieuPierre JurieuPierre Jurieu 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 grandfather, Pierre Du Moulin, and under Leblanc de Beaulieu...
, 1671-81 - Pierre BaylePierre BaylePierre Bayle was a French philosopher and writer best known for his seminal work the Historical and Critical Dictionary, published beginning in 1695....
, 1675-81
Professors of Rhetoric (LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
) (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)
- Gautier Donaldson, 1608
- Abraham Du Han, 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 AntoineNicolas AntoineNicolas Antoine was a French-Christian Protestant theologian and pastor who converted to Judaism, though he was never officially admitted in Judaism, because of fears by the Jewish community that persecutions would happen if it became known that he was an apostate of Christianity; he was advised...
- Jacques BasnagesJacques BasnagesJacques Basnage De Beauval was a celebrated Protestant divine, preacher, linguist, writer and man of affairs. He wrote a History of the Reformed Churches and on Jewish Antiquities.-Biography:...
- Samuel BochartSamuel BochartSamuel Bochart was a French Protestant biblical scholar, a student of Thomas Erpenius and the teacher of Pierre Daniel Huet...
- Abraham de MoivreAbraham de MoivreAbraham de Moivre was a French mathematician famous for de Moivre's formula, which links complex numbers and trigonometry, and for his work on the normal distribution and probability theory. He was a friend of Isaac Newton, Edmund Halley, and James Stirling...
- Pierre Du MoulinPierre Du MoulinPierre Du Moulin 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 minister in the Orleans area...
- Charles DrelincourtCharles DrelincourtCharles Drelincourt was a French Protestant divine.-Life:His father, Pierre Drelincourt, fled from Protestant persecution in Caen and became secretary to Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon at Sedan, Ardennes...
- Nicasius le FebureNicasius le FebureNicasius le Febure, a.k.a. Nicolas le Febure or Nicasius le Fevre or Nicolas le Fèvre , was a French chemist and alchemist who was appointed to positions by both French and English royalty.-Life and work:...
- Jacques Le Paulmier de Grentemesnil
- Jacques Moisant de BrieuxJacques Moisant de BrieuxJacques Moisant de Brieux was a French poet and historian.Born at Caen in an aristocratic Huguenot family on 13 May 1611, Moisant de Brieux had Antoine Halley as his first preceptor before continuing his studies in the best Protestant institutions of his time...
- Charles de Sainte-Maure, duc de MontausierCharles de Sainte-Maure, duc de MontausierCharles de Sainte-Maure, duc de Montausier was a French soldier and the governor of the dauphin, Louis le Grand Dauphin, the eldest son and heir of Louis XIV, King of France....
- Pierre Du Prat
- Simon Gaschier
- the nephews of Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Duke of Bouillon and Countess Elisabeth of Nassau:
- the sons of Countess Louise Juliana of Nassau: Frederick V, Elector PalatineFrederick V, Elector PalatineFrederick V was Elector Palatine , and, as Frederick I , King of Bohemia ....
and his younger brother Ludwig Philipp of Pfalz-Simmern-Kaiserslautern - the son of John VI, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg: John VII, Count of Nassau
- the sons of Countess Louise Juliana of Nassau: Frederick V, Elector Palatine
- Joachim Sigismund of Brandenburg, son of John Sigismund, Elector of BrandenburgJohn Sigismund, Elector of BrandenburgJohn Sigismund was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from the House of Hohenzollern. He also served as a Duke of Prussia.-Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia:...