Early history Franeker was founded around 800 as a
Carolingian stronghold. The name probably derives from
Froon-acker, meaning 'land of the lord/king'; the oldest street in the city is still called Froonacker. Beginning around the 11th century, Franeker developed into the administrative center of northern
Westergoa. Franeker received
city rights in 1417, when it was recognised as an independent city and, through the ('Citizen's letter'), formally separated from the
grietenij .
Saxon period , ) At the end of the 15th century,
Albert, Duke of Saxony established himself in Franeker, when he had taken over Friesland with the help of the
Schieringers led by . On 12 May 1500, the city was besieged by an army of 16,000 dissatisfied Frisians during the , as a result of the high rents and taxes levied by Albert and his sons
Henry and
George of Saxony. Henry established his seat in the city of Franeker. The Frisians achieved nothing with the siege of the city because they were poorly trained and organised. Duke Albert of Saxony hastily assembled a large army to relieve Henry and the city of Franeker. Finally, the Frisians were defeated on 16 July 1500 and the city was relieved. On 26 March 1501, Henry IV of Saxony gave the city of Franeker a considerable (200
morgen) piece of
salt marshland outside the dike, called the Franekerlanden. Three years later, Henry handed over the government of Friesland to his brother George. Franeker seemed to become the capital of Friesland at the end of the 15th century. In 1504, however, the Saxons fled to
Leeuwarden. After that, the city remained important to the
Saxons for a long time, until Friesland was transferred as a possession to
Charles V in 1524.
University of Franeker , 1622) When the
Dutch Republic revolted against the
Spanish Empire, Franeker chose the side of
William of Orange early on. In 1579, Friesland joined the
Union of Utrecht in the joint fight against Spain. In 1580, the
States of Friesland decided that only the
Reformed doctrine was permitted. In order to meet a growing demand for ministers, lawyers, and doctors, the States decided to found a university. As such, a
Protestant university, the
University of Franeker, the oldest in the Netherlands after the
University of Leiden, was established on 29 July 1585. Some notable students include
William IV, Prince of Orange,
Peter Stuyvesant,
René Descartes, and
Eise Eisinga. It was closed shortly after the incorporation of the
Kingdom of Holland into the
French Empire, when
Napoleon Bonaparte closed the academy in 1811. A successor institution, the , was founded in 1815, but in 1847 it, too, closed. On 1 January 2018, Franeker became the main town of the newly formed municipality of
Waadhoeke. The town hall is located on the Harlingerstraatweg in Franeker. == Geography ==