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University of Franeker

Coordinates: 53°11′8.66″N 5°32′20.62″E / 53.1857389°N 5.5390611°E / 53.1857389; 5.5390611
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De academia van Vrieslant (Friesland Academy), 1622

The University of Franeker (1585–1811) was a university in Franeker, Friesland, the Netherlands. It was the second-oldest university of the Netherlands, founded shortly after Leiden University.[1]

History

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Also known as Academia Franekerensis or the University of Friesland, it consisted of departments of Theology, Law, Medicine, Philosophy, Mathematics and Physics. Among its well-known students was Peter Stuyvesant, last director-general of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, as well as René Descartes.

Initially the university had an excellent reputation, attracting students from far and wide, but from 1700 its fortune changed. The university was disbanded by Napoleon in 1811, along with the Universities of Harderwijk and Utrecht. After the end of the French régime, the university was not restored. Instead, an Athenaeum illustre was founded, which did not have the right to issue doctoral degrees. In 1843, the Athenaeum itself was disbanded because of a lack of students.

Legacy

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Today, Franeker has no institute of higher education, although postgraduate students from the University of Groningen are permitted to defend their thesis in the Franeker Martinikerk [nl], provided they are Frisian or their thesis subject has a connection to Friesland.[2]

Two institutions continue the legacy of University of Franeker, the Academie van Franeker[3] (established in 2018 by The Municipality of Franekeradeel, the Campus Fryslân of the University of Groningen, the Protestant Community of Franeker, and the Foundation for the Management of Diaconal Goods Franekerand the Euler-Franeker Memorial University (chartered by the government of Curaçao, a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands).

Notable professors and alumni

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Sluis, Jacob van (2020-06-08), "The Library of Franeker University in Context, 1585–1843", The Library of Franeker University in Context, 1585–1843, Brill, ISBN 978-90-04-35226-1, retrieved 2025-07-24
  2. ^ "Legacy – Franeker University | Universiteit van Franeker |". Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  3. ^ "Academie van Franeker". Academie van Franeker (in Dutch). Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  4. ^ A. C. Grayling, Descartes: The Life of Rene Descartes and Its Place in His Times, Simon and Schuster, 2006, pp. 151–152.
  5. ^ Prögler, Daniela (2016). English Students at Leiden University, 1575-1640. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-409-43712-3.
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53°11′8.66″N 5°32′20.62″E / 53.1857389°N 5.5390611°E / 53.1857389; 5.5390611