, and professor of law and mathematics Utrecht University was founded on 26 March 1636. It has its roots in the Illustrious School of Utrecht, founded two years earlier in 1634, which was elevated to the status of university in 1636. The influential professor of theology
Gisbertus Voetius delivered the inaugural speech, and Bernardus Schotanus (professor of law and mathematics) became the university's first
rector magnificus.
Anna Maria van Schurman, who became the university's first female student, was invited to write a Latin poem for the inauguration. Initially, only a few dozen students attended classes at the university. Seven professors worked in four faculties: philosophy, which offered all students an introductory education, and three higher-level faculties (theology, medicine and law). Utrecht University flourished in the seventeenth century, and contributed significantly to the
Dutch Golden Age, despite competition with the older universities, such as
Leiden (1575) and
Groningen (1614). Leiden, in particular, proved a strong competitor and made further improvement necessary; a rivalry that persists to this day. A
botanical garden was built on the grounds of the present
Sonnenborgh Observatory, and three years later the
Smeetoren added an astronomical observatory. The university attracted many students from abroad (especially from Germany, England and Scotland). They witnessed the intellectual and theological battle fought between proponents of the new philosophy (
René Descartes lived for a few years in Utrecht) and proponents of the strict
Reformed theologian
Voetius. They also witnessed the teachings of renowned Dutch jurist,
Johannes Voet, a university alumnus and professor of law, whose works remain highly authoritative in modern
Roman-Dutch law. in law was conferred on
Eleanor Roosevelt in 1948. In 1806, the
French occupying authorities of the Netherlands downgraded Utrecht University to an
école secondaire (high school), but after the establishment of the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1813 it regained its former status. Leiden,
Leuven, Groningen, Utrecht and
Ghent were the five universities () of the new state. Two of the universities (Leuven and Ghent) became part of the new
Belgian state after their respective provinces
separated from the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1830. As a result, Utrecht University remained one of only three Dutch universities. During the French occupation,
King Louis Napoleon ordered the construction of a palace in the centre of Utrecht, which eventually became the University Library City Centre. Utrecht University played a prominent role in the golden age of Dutch science. Around 1850 the "Utrechtian School" of science formed, with
Pieter Harting,
Gerardus J. Mulder,
Christophorus H. D. Buys Ballot and
Franciscus Donders among the leading scientists. They introduced the educational laboratory (
onderwijslaboratorium) as a practical learning place for their students. The National Veterinary School (
Dutch:
Rijks Veeartsenijschool) became Utrecht University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in 1918. As the university grew, the academic buildings in the historic city centre were unable to meet the university's increasing need for space. Therefore, starting from the 1960s, a significant part of the university moved to the
De Uithof campus, which occupies the easternmost part of the city and is located south of
De Bilt. However, the university continued to retain its academic buildings and presence in the historic city centre. The university is represented in the
Stichting Academisch Erfgoed, a foundation with the goal of preserving the university's heritage and collections. ==Organisation==