University of Douai
The University of Douai was a historic university in Douai, France. With a medieval tradition of scholarly activity in the city, the university was established in 1559, and lectures began in 1562. It ceased operations from 1795 to 1808. In 1887, it was relocated 27 km away to Lille, where it became the University of Lille.
From the mid-16th century onward, the University of Douai had a Europe-wide influence as a prominent center of Neo-Latin literature, significantly contributing to the dissemination of printed knowledge. With 1,500 to 2,000 registered students and several hundred professors, it was the second-largest university in France during the late 17th and 18th centuries. Studies in mathematics and physics at the Douai Faculty of Arts fostered advancements in artillery practice. The Douai Faculty of Theology was a key center for Catholic scholarship, playing a crucial role in shaping religious doctrines and engaging in political controversies across Europe. Its scholars also contributed to the development of new approaches in the humanities.
History
Douai, scholar pole from the late Middle Ages to the Renaissance
Before the formal establishment of the university, Douai had a rich scholarly tradition dating back to the late Middle Ages. Nearby, Anchin Abbey served as a significant cultural center from the 11th to the 13th century, producing numerous manuscripts and charters. It was rivaled by the scriptoria of Marchiennes Abbey and Flines Abbey. Alongside these abbeys, other monastic houses in Douai contributed to the city's intellectual activity. By the 16th century, these institutions ensured that "close to the city, several very rich abbeys could provide space and resources to the new university."The bonds of vassalage tying the County of Flanders to the Kingdom of France were abolished in 1526, with Flanders becoming an imperial province under the Treaty of Madrid, signed by King Francis I of France and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. This arrangement was later confirmed by the Treaty of Cambrai. Consequently, it was to the emperor that the magistrates of Douai submitted a request in 1531 to establish a university in the town. However, formal approval for the university was only granted during the reign of Philip II of Spain, reflecting the evolving political and religious context of the time.
Old university of Douai (1559–1795)
Establishment of the university (1559)
As part of a broader program to consolidate the Spanish Low Countries, a university was established in Douai by Philip II between 1559 and 1562, serving as a counterpart to Leuven University, founded in 1426. The foundation was confirmed by a papal bull issued by Pope Paul IV on 31 July 1559 and reaffirmed by Pope Pius IV on 6 January 1560. Philip II's letters patent, dated 19 January 1561, authorized the creation of five faculties: Theology, Canon Law, Civil Law, Medicine, and Arts.The university's formal inauguration took place on 5 October 1562, marked by a public procession of the Blessed Sacrament and a sermon delivered in the marketplace by François Richardot, the Bishop of Arras. The institution's first chancellor was Richard Smith, an Englishman.
Recent studies increasingly recognize the 16th-century foundation of the University of Douai as an important institution of its time. Efforts are underway to reconstruct a comprehensive portrait of various aspects of its history, including detailed prosopographies of its professors and students, particularly during its Habsburg period.
College du Roi (1562), College d'Anchin (1568) and College de Marchiennes (1570)
The first university college established in Douai was the "Collège du Roi", which opened in 1562. A second college was founded in 1564 but was later replaced by the Collège d'Anchin in 1568. Another college, supported by the Abbey of Marchiennes, opened in 1570. These colleges served not only as accommodation for students but also as venues for lectures.Royal-appointed lecturers accounted for only a tenth of the 300 teachers in the faculty. The faculty of the Jesuit College, which included up to 145 teachers, was regarded as the most influential center of power within the university.
English College in Douai (1562–1793)
Although the University of Douai was founded on the model of Louvain, from which it drew most of its initial professors, it was also influenced by the English during its early years. Several key positions were held by Englishmen, many of whom were former scholars from Oxford.The university's first chancellor was Richard Smyth, a former Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, and Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford. Owen Lewis, a former Fellow of New College, Oxford, who had also held the corresponding position at Oxford, served for many years as the Regius Professor of Canon Law at Douai.
The first principal of Marchiennes College was Richard White, another former Fellow of New College. Additionally, William Allen, after earning his licentiate at Douai in 1560, became the university's Regius Professor of Divinity.
The founding of the University of Douai coincided with the presence of a significant number of English Catholics who had settled in Douai following the accession of Elizabeth I and the reimposition of Protestantism in England. This community, along with the role of the university, inspired William Allen to establish a seminary in Douai in 1569 for English Catholic priests.
The seminary’s studies were partially linked to the university, and priests were trained there to return to England. It was at this English College in Douai that the English translation of the Bible, known as the Douay–Rheims Version, was completed in 1609. However, the first English Catholic Bible combining the Rheims New Testament and the Douay Old Testament into a single volume was not printed until 1764.
Scottish College in Douai (1573–1802)
The Scottish College was established in 1573 by Bishop John Lesley, who opposed the Scottish Reformation and the destabilization of the Auld Alliance between France and Scotland by Protestant England. It was later refounded in 1608. After Douai's conquest by the French, Scots residing there automatically held dual French and Scottish citizenship under the Auld Alliance.The college in Douai became a hub for scholars from the Scottish Stuart supporter movement and a refuge for exiles from the Jacobite risings, particularly between 1688 and 1692. Historical collections were deposited at the college by King James II of England and VII of Scotland—the last Catholic monarch of Great Britain—as well as by other exiled Scottish Catholics.
Irish College in Douai (1603–1905)
St. Patrick's Irish College of Douai was founded in 1603 by Christopher Cusack, with the support of Philip III of Spain, an ally of the Irish Catholics in their resistance to the colonization of Ireland by English power. Hugh Ó Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone and leader of the Irish resistance during the Nine Years' War, stayed at Douai University on his way into exile from Ireland to Rome in 1607. The Irish College was officially attached to the Faculty of Theology at the University of Douai in 1610.Bronchorst scholarship foundation (1629)
By his will dated 20 June 1629, Henry Bronchorst established a scholarship for a period of nine years to support members of the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels in studying at the University of Douai. This explains the significant number of members of the Brussels magistracy who were educated at this university.Other foundations
The town was a vibrant center of Catholic life, and connected with the university were not only the English College, but also the Irish and Scottish colleges, as well as Benedictine, Jesuit, and Franciscan houses. For a time, there was also a Charterhouse. The Collège d'Anchin opened a few months after the English College, endowed by the Abbot of the nearby 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 also founded a college bearing his name. Later additions included the College of St. Thomas Aquinas, belonging to the Dominicans, the Collège du Roi, and others.The Benedictines established a college in Douai, founded by Augustine Bradshaw in 1605, in rented apartments belonging to the Collège d'Anchin. A few years later, through the generosity of Philippe de Caverel, Abbot of the Monastery of Saint-Vaast, they obtained land and built a monastery, which opened in 1611. The house gained a high reputation for learning and was rebuilt between 1776 and 1781. Many professors of the university were at various times chosen from among its members.
The Anglo-Benedictines went into English exile during the French Revolution and were the only Douai institution to retain their ancient monastery afterward. When the community of St. Gregory was permanently established at Downside, they handed over their house in Douai to the community of St. Edmund, which had previously been located in Paris. These Benedictines continued to operate a school in Douai until 1903, when Waldeck-Rousseau's 1901 Law of Associations forced them to leave France. They returned to England and settled at Woolhampton, near Reading, where they founded Douai Abbey, known for its school, Douai School, which closed in 1999.
The Benedictine and Franciscan houses in Douai were located near each other and were both closely connected to the restoration of their respective orders in England. The Franciscan monastery was primarily founded through the efforts of Father John Gennings, the brother of the martyr Edmund Gennings. It was established in temporary quarters in 1618, with students attending the Jesuit schools during this time. By 1621, however, the Franciscans had built their own monastery and provided all necessary tuition within their own walls.