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{{short description|Historic university in France (1150–1970)}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = University of Paris
 | native_name            = {{langx|fr|Université de Paris}}
 | image_name             = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg
 | image_upright          = .6
 | caption                = [[Coat of arms]] of the university {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|type=point|zoom=13|frame-align=center|frame-width=250}}
 | latin_name             = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis<ref>{{Cite book |title=Records of The Tercentenary Festival of Dublin University |date=1894 |publisher=[[Hodges Figgis|Hodges, Figgis & Co.]] |isbn=9781355361602 |publication-place=[[Dublin]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Ireland]] |language=en-IE }}</ref>
 | motto                  = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' ([[Latin]])
 | mottoeng               = Here and anywhere on Earth
 | established            = 1150{{efn|Origins at the Parisian [[cathedral school]] during the [[High Middle Ages]].}}
 | closed                 = 1970{{efn|Suppressed from 1793–1806, while the faculties and university were respectively reestablished in 1806 and 1896.}}
 | type                   = [[Guild|Corporative]], then [[public university]]
 | city                   = [[Paris]]
 | country                = France
 | campus                 = Urban
}}
The '''University of Paris''' ({{langx|fr|link=no|Université de Paris}}), known [[Metonymy|metonymically]] as the '''Sorbonne''' ({{IPA|fr|sɔʁbɔn|lang}}), was the leading university in [[Paris]], France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the [[French Revolution]]. Emerging around 1150 as a [[corporation]] associated with the [[cathedral school]] of Paris, it was considered the [[List of medieval universities|second-oldest university in Europe]].<ref name="Haskins, C. H 1923, p. 292">[[Charles Homer Haskins]]: ''The Rise of Universities'', Henry Holt and Company, 1923, p. 292.</ref> Officially [[charter]]ed in 1200 by [[Philip II of France|King Philip II]] and recognised in 1215 by [[Pope Innocent III]], it was nicknamed after its theological [[College of Sorbonne]], founded by [[Robert de Sorbon]] and chartered by [[King Louis IX]] around 1257.<ref name="Haskins, C. H 1923, p. 292"/>

Highly reputed internationally for its academic performance in the [[humanities]] ever since the [[Middle Ages]] – particularly in [[theology]] and [[philosophy]] – it introduced academic standards and traditions that have endured and spread, such as [[Doctor (title)|doctoral degree]]s and [[student nation]]s. Notable [[popes]], [[royal family|royalty]], scientists, and intellectuals were educated at the University of Paris. A few of the colleges of the time are still visible close to the [[Panthéon]] and [[Jardin du Luxembourg]]: [[Collège des Bernardins]] (18 rue de Poissy, [[5th arrondissement of Paris|5th arr.]]), [[Hôtel de Cluny]] (6 Place Paul Painlevé, 5th arr.), Collège Sainte-Barbe (4 rue Valette, 5th arr.), Collège d'Harcourt (44 Boulevard Saint-Michel, [[6th arrondissement of Paris|6th arr.]]), and Cordeliers (21 rue École de Médecine, 6th arr.).<ref name=ParisDigest>{{Cite web |url=https://www.parisdigest.com/paris/paris_university.htm |title=Sorbonne facts |year=2018 |publisher=Paris Digest |access-date=2018-09-06}}</ref>

In 1793, during the French Revolution, the university was closed and, by Item 27 of the Revolutionary Convention, the college endowments and buildings were sold.<ref name="Palmer, 1975">{{cite book | last = Palmer | first = R. R. | chapter = 27, The National Convention orders the sale of all college endowments | title = The School of The French Revolution : A Documentary History of the College of Louis-le-Grand and its Director, Jean-François Champagne, 1762–1814 | place = Princeton | publisher = Princeton Legacy Library| year = 1975 | pages = 127 | isbn = 978-0-69-161796-1}}</ref> A new [[University of France]] replaced it in 1806 with four independent faculties: the [[University of Paris Faculty of Humanities|Faculty of Humanities]] ({{langx|fr|Faculté des Lettres}}), the [[Paris Law Faculty|Faculty of Law]] (later including Economics), the Faculty of Science, the [[University of Paris Faculty of Medicine|Faculty of Medicine]] and the Faculty of Theology (closed in 1885).<!--This adds up to five faculties: Humanities, Law, Science, Medicine, and Theology. The claim(s) need correcting.-->

In 1896, a new University of Paris was re-founded as a grouping of the Paris faculties of science, [[Faculté des lettres de Paris|literature]], [[Faculty of Law of Paris|law]], medicine, [[Protestant Faculty of Theology in Paris|Protestant theology]] and the École supérieure de pharmacie de Paris. It was inaugurated on November 19, 1896, by French President [[Félix Faure]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Histoire de l'université |url=https://www.pantheonsorbonne.fr/universite/presentation/histoire-luniversite |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne }}</ref> In 1970, after the [[May 68|civil unrest of May 1968]], the university was divided into 13 autonomous universities, which today are the [[Sorbonne University]], [[Panthéon-Sorbonne University]], the [[Assas University]], the [[Sorbonne Nouvelle University]], the [[Paris Cité University]], the [[PSL University]], the [[Saclay University]], the [[Nanterre University]], the [[Sorbonne Paris North University]], the [[Paris-East Créteil University]] and the [[Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis|Paris 8 University]]. The [[Chancellerie des Universités de Paris]] inherited the heritage assets of the University of Paris, including the [[Sorbonne (building)|Sorbonne]] building, the "''La Sorbonne''" brand, control of the inter-university libraries, and management of the staff of the Paris universities (until 2007).<ref>{{Cite web |title=La Chancellerie des universités de Paris a 50 ans. |url=https://www.ac-paris.fr/la-chancellerie-des-universites-de-paris-a-50-ans-124499#:~:text=Cr%C3%A9%C3%A9e%20par%20d%C3%A9cret%20du%2030,universit%C3%A9s%20ou%20des%20grands%20%C3%A9tablissements. |date=Apr 2022 |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=Académie de Paris |language=fr}}</ref>

== History ==

===Origins===
In 1150, the future University of Paris was a student–teacher corporation operating as an annex of the [[cathedral school]] {{interlanguage link|École_cathédrale_de_Paris|fr|lt=of Paris}}. The earliest historical reference to it is found in [[Matthew Paris]]'s reference to the studies of his own teacher (an abbot of [[St Albans Cathedral|St Albans]]) and his acceptance into "the fellowship of the elect Masters" there in about 1170,<ref name="bartleby.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bartleby.com/211/1001.html|title=§1. The University of Paris. X. English Scholars of Paris and Franciscans of Oxford. Vol. 1. From the Beginnings to the Cycles of Romance. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature: An Encyclopedia in Eighteen Volumes. 1907–1921|website=bartleby |access-date=Mar 23, 2020}}</ref> and it is known that Lotario dei Conti di Segni, the future [[Pope Innocent III]], completed his studies there in 1182 at the age of 21.  Its first college was the [[Collège des Dix-Huit]], established in 1180 by an Englishman named Josse and endowed for 18 poor scholars. [[File:Sorbona 2005a.jpg|thumb|La Sorbonne]]

The corporation was formally recognised as an "''[[wikt:universitas#Noun 2|Universitas]]''" in an edict by King [[Philippe-Auguste]] in 1200: in it, among other accommodations granted to future students, he allowed the corporation to operate under ecclesiastic law which would be governed by the elders of the [[Notre-Dame school|Notre-Dame Cathedral school]], and assured all those completing courses there that they would be granted a diploma.<ref name="sorbonne_ref">{{cite web | url=https://www.sorbonne.fr/en/the-sorbonne/history-of-the-sorbonne/la-fondation-de-la-sorbonne-au-moyen-age-par-le-theologien-robert-de-sorbon/ | title=The Sorbonne in the Middle Ages |website=La Chancellerie des Universités de Paris | access-date=2016-06-18}}</ref>

The university had four [[Faculty (division)|faculties]]: [[Liberal arts education|Arts]], Medicine, Law, and Theology. The Faculty of Arts was the lowest in rank, but also the largest, as students had to graduate there in order to be admitted to one of the higher faculties. The students were divided into four ''[[nation (university)|nationes]]'' according to language or regional origin: France, Normandy, Picardy, and England. The last came to be known as the ''Alemannian'' (German) nation. Recruitment to each nation was wider than the names might imply: the English–German nation included students from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

The faculty and nation system of the University of Paris (along with that of the [[University of Bologna]]) became the model for all later medieval universities. Under the governance of the Church, students wore robes and shaved the tops of their heads in [[tonsure]], to signify they were under the protection of the church. Students followed the rules and laws of the Church and were not subject to the king's laws or courts. This presented problems for the city of Paris, as students ran wild, and its official had to appeal to Church courts for justice. Students were often very young, entering the school at 13 or 14 years of age and staying for six to 12 years.
{| class="toccolours" style="float:right; margin-left:1em; font-size:90%; line-height:1.4em; width:280px;"
|'''School'''
|'''Founded'''
|- style="text-align:center;"
|[[Collège des Dix-Huit|College of the Eighteen]]
|1180
|- style="text-align:center;"
|[[College of Sorbonne]]
|1257
|- style="text-align:center;"
|[[College of Navarre]]
|1305
|- style="text-align:center;"
|[[Faculty of Law of Paris|Law]]
|1150
|- style="text-align:center;"
|[[University of Paris Faculty of Medicine|Medicine]]
|1200
|- style="text-align:center;"
|[[Faculté des lettres de Paris|Arts]]
|1213
|- style="text-align:center;"
|[[Catholic University of Paris|Divinity]]
|1221
|- style="text-align:center;"
|[[École normale supérieure (Paris)|Education]]
|1794
|- style="text-align:center;"
|Sciences
|1808
|- style="text-align:center;"
|Pharmacy
|1864
|- style="text-align:center;"
|[[Sciences Po|Government]]
|1872
|- style="text-align:center;"
|[[IAE Paris|Business]]
|1956
|}

===12th century: Organisation===
Three schools were especially famous in Paris: the ''palatine or palace school'', the ''school of Notre-Dame'', and that of [[Sainte-Geneviève Abbey]]. The latter two, although ancient, were initially eclipsed by the palatine school, until the decline of royalty brought about its decline.

The first renowned professor at the school of Ste-Geneviève was [[Hubold]], who lived in the tenth century. Not content with the courses at [[Liège]], he continued his studies at Paris, entered or allied himself with the chapter of Ste-Geneviève, and attracted many pupils via his teaching. Distinguished professors from the school of Notre-Dame in the eleventh century include Lambert, disciple of [[Fulbert of Chartres]]; [[Drogo of Paris]]; [[Manegold of Germany]]; and [[Anselm of Laon]]. These two schools attracted scholars from every country and produced many illustrious men, among whom were: [[Stanislaus of Szczepanów|St. Stanislaus of Szczepanów]], Bishop of Kraków; [[Gebbard, Archbishop of Salzburg]]; [[Stephen Harding|St. Stephen, third Abbot of Cîteaux]]; [[Robert d'Arbrissel]], founder of the [[Abbey of Fontevrault]] etc. Three other men who added prestige to the schools of Notre-Dame and Ste-Geneviève were [[William of Champeaux]], [[Abélard]], and [[Peter Lombard]].

Humanistic instruction comprised [[grammar]], [[rhetoric]], [[dialectics]], [[arithmetic]], [[geometry]], music, and [[astronomy]] ([[trivium (education)|trivium]] and [[quadrivium]]). To the higher instruction belonged [[dogmatic theology|dogmatic]] and [[moral theology]], whose source was the Scriptures and the Patristic Fathers. It was completed by the study of [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|Canon law]]. The School of Saint-Victor arose to rival those of Notre-Dame and Ste-Geneviève. It was founded by William of Champeaux when he withdrew to the Abbey of Saint-Victor. Its most famous professors are [[Hugh of St. Victor]] and [[Richard of St. Victor]].

The plan of studies expanded in the schools of Paris, as it did elsewhere. A [[Bologna|Bolognese]] compendium of canon law called the {{lang|la|[[Decretum Gratiani]]}} brought about a division of the theology department. Hitherto the discipline of the Church had not been separate from so-called theology; they were studied together under the same professor. But this vast collection necessitated a special course, which was undertaken first at Bologna, where [[Roman law]] was taught. In France, first [[Orléans]] and then Paris erected chairs of canon law. Before the end of the twelfth century, the [[Decretal]]s of [[Gerard La Pucelle]], [[Mathieu d'Angers]], and [[Anselm of Paris|Anselm (or Anselle) of Paris]], were added to the Decretum Gratiani. However, [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] was not included at Paris. In the twelfth century, medicine began to be publicly taught at Paris: the first professor of medicine in Paris records is Hugo, ''physicus excellens qui quadrivium docuit''.

Professors were required to have measurable knowledge and be appointed by the university. Applicants had to be assessed by [[Test (assessment)|examination]]; if successful, the examiner, who was the head of the school, and known as ''scholasticus'', ''capiscol'', and ''chancellor,'' appointed an individual to teach. This was called the [[licence]] or faculty to teach. The licence had to be granted freely. No one could teach without it; on the other hand, the examiner could not refuse to award it when the applicant deserved it.
[[File:Lasorbonne photo2.jpg|thumb]]

The school of Saint-Victor, under the abbey, conferred the licence in its own right; the school of Notre-Dame depended on the diocese, that of Ste-Geneviève on the abbey or chapter. The diocese and the abbey or chapter, through their [[Chancellor (ecclesiastical)|chancellor]], gave professorial investiture in their respective territories where they had jurisdiction. Besides Notre-Dame, Ste-Geneviève, and Saint-Victor, there were several schools on the "Island" and on the "Mount". "Whoever", says [[Jean-Baptiste Louis Crévier|Crevier]] "had the right to teach might open a school where he pleased, provided it was not in the vicinity of a principal school." Thus [[Adam de Parvo Ponte|a certain Adam]], who was of English origin, kept his "near the [[Petit Pont]]"; another Adam, Parisian by birth, "taught at the [[Grand Pont]] which is called the [[Pont-au-Change]]" (''Hist. de l'Univers. de Paris,'' I, 272).

The number of students in the school of the capital grew constantly, so that lodgings were insufficient. French students included [[princes of the blood]], sons of the nobility, and ranking gentry. The courses at Paris were considered so necessary as a completion of studies that many foreigners flocked to them. Popes [[Pope Celestine II|Celestine II]], [[Pope Adrian IV|Adrian IV]] and [[Pope Innocent III|Innocent III]] studied at Paris, and [[Pope Alexander III|Alexander III]] sent his nephews there. Noted German and English students included [[Otto of Freising]]en, [[Cardinal Conrad, Archbishop of Mainz]], [[Thomas Becket|St. Thomas of Canterbury]], and [[John of Salisbury]]; while Ste-Geneviève became practically the seminary for [[Denmark]]. The chroniclers of the time called Paris the city of letters par excellence, placing it above [[Athens]], [[Alexandria]], Rome, and other cities: "At that time, there flourished at Paris philosophy and all branches of learning, and there the seven arts were studied and held in such esteem as they never were at Athens, Egypt, Rome, or elsewhere in the world." ("Les gestes de Philippe-Auguste"). Poets extolled the university in their verses, comparing it to all that was greatest, noblest, and most valuable in the world.
[[File:Sorbona in snow.jpg|thumb|upright|The Sorbonne covered by snow.]]

To allow poor students to study the first college [[Collège des Dix-Huit|des dix-Huit]] was founded by a knight returning from Jerusalem called Josse of London for 18 scholars who received lodgings and 12 pence or denarii a month.<ref name="Madrasa">{{Cite book|title=Warriors of the Cloisters: The Central Asian Origins of Science in the Medieval World..|last=Beckwith|first=CI|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2012|isbn=9780691155319|url=https://princeton.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.23943/princeton/9780691155319.001.0001/upso-9780691155319-appendix-3|doi=10.23943/princeton/9780691155319.001.0001|ref=Madrasa}}</ref>

As the university developed, it became more institutionalized. First, the professors formed an association, for according to [[Matthew Paris]], [[John of Celles]], twenty-first Abbot of [[St Albans Abbey|St Albans]], England, was admitted as a member of the teaching corps of Paris after he had followed the courses (''Vita Joannis I, XXI, abbat. S. Alban''). The masters, as well as the students, were divided according to national origin,. Alban wrote that [[Henry II of England|Henry II, King of England]], in his difficulties with St. Thomas of Canterbury, wanted to submit his cause to a tribunal composed of professors of Paris, chosen from various provinces (Hist. major, Henry II, to end of 1169). This was likely the start of the division according to "nations," which was later to play an important part in the university. Celestine III ruled that both professors and students had the privilege of being subject only to the ecclesiastical courts, not to civil courts.

The three schools: Notre-Dame, Sainte-Geneviève, and Saint-Victor, may be regarded as the triple cradle of the ''Universitas scholarium'', which included masters and students; hence the name ''University''. [[Henry Denifle]] and some others hold that this honour is exclusive to the school of Notre-Dame (Chartularium Universitatis Parisiensis), but the reasons do not seem convincing. He excludes Saint-Victor because, at the request of the abbot and the religious of Saint-Victor, Gregory IX in 1237 authorized them to resume the interrupted teaching of theology. But the university was largely founded about 1208, as is shown by a Bull of Innocent III. Consequently, the schools of Saint-Victor might well have contributed to its formation. Secondly, Denifle excludes the schools of Ste-Geneviève because there had been no interruption in the teaching of the liberal arts. This is debatable and through the period, theology was taught. The chancellor of Ste-Geneviève continued to give degrees in arts, something he would have ceased if his abbey had no part in the university organization.

===13th–14th century: Expansion===
[[File:Meeting of doctors at the university of Paris.jpg|thumb|upright|Meeting of doctors at the University of Paris. From a 16th-century miniature.]]

In 1200, [[Philip II of France|King Philip II]] issued a diploma "for the security of the scholars of Paris," which affirmed that students were subject only to ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The provost and other officers were forbidden to arrest a student for any offence, unless to transfer him to ecclesiastical authority. The king's officers could not intervene with any member unless having a mandate from an ecclesiastical authority. His action followed a violent incident between students and officers outside the city walls at a pub.

In 1215, the Apostolic legate, [[Robert de Courçon]], issued new rules governing who could become a professor. To teach the arts, a candidate had to be at least twenty-one, to have studied these arts at least six years, and to take an engagement as professor for at least two years. For a chair in theology, the candidate had to be thirty years of age, with eight years of theological studies, of which the last three years were devoted to special courses of lectures in preparation for the mastership. These studies had to be made in the local schools under the direction of a master. In Paris, one was regarded as a scholar only by studies with particular masters. Lastly, purity of morals was as important as reading. The licence was granted, according to custom, gratuitously, without oath or condition. Masters and students were permitted to unite, even by oath, in defence of their rights, when they could not otherwise obtain justice in serious matters. No mention is made either of law or of medicine, probably because these sciences were less prominent.

{{Main|University of Paris strike of 1229}}

In 1229, a denial of justice by the queen led to suspension of the courses. The pope intervened with a [[Papal bull|bull]] that began with lavish praise of the university: "Paris", said [[Pope Gregory IX|Gregory IX]], "mother of the sciences, is another Cariath-Sepher, city of letters". He commissioned the Bishops of Le Mans and Senlis and the Archdeacon of Châlons to negotiate with the French Court for the restoration of the university, but by the end of 1230 they had accomplished nothing. Gregory IX then addressed a Bull of 1231 to the masters and scholars of Paris. Not only did he settle the dispute, he empowered the university to frame statutes concerning the discipline of the schools, the method of instruction, the defence of theses, the costume of the professors, and the obsequies of masters and students (expanding upon Robert de Courçon's statutes). Most importantly, the pope granted the university the right to suspend its courses, if justice were denied it, until it should receive full satisfaction.

The pope authorized Pierre Le Mangeur to collect a moderate fee for the conferring of the license of professorship. Also, for the first time, the scholars had to pay [[tuition fees]] for their education: two sous weekly, to be deposited in the common fund.

====Rector====
The university was organized as follows: at the head of the teaching body was a [[Rector (academia)|rector]]. The office was elective and of short duration; at first it was limited to four or six weeks. [[Simon de Brion]], legate of the [[Holy See]] in France, realizing that such frequent changes caused serious inconvenience, decided that the rectorate should last three months, and this rule was observed for three years. Then the term was lengthened to one, two, and sometimes three years. The right of election belonged to the [[promagistrate|procurators]] of the four [[nation (university)|nations]]. [[Henry of Unna]] was [[proctor]] of the University of Paris in the 14th century, beginning his term on January 13, 1340.

====Four "nations"====
[[File:Four nations of the University of Paris.png|thumb|Map showing the territories covered by the four nations of the University of Paris during the Middle Ages.]]
{{Main|Nation (university)}}

The "nations" appeared in the second half of the twelfth century. They were mentioned in the Bull of [[Honorius III]] in 1222. Later, they formed a distinct body. By 1249, the four nations existed with their procurators, their rights (more or less well-defined), and their keen rivalries: the nations were the French, English, Normans, and Picards. After the Hundred Years' War, the English nation was replaced by the Germanic. The four nations constituted the [[Faculty of Arts|faculty of arts or letters]].

The territories covered by the four nations were:
* French nation: all the [[Romance languages|Romance-speaking]] parts of Europe except those included within the Norman and Picard nations
* English nation (renamed 'German nation' after the [[Hundred Years' War]]): the [[British Isles]], the [[Germanic languages|Germanic-speaking]] parts of continental Europe (except those included within the Picard nation), and the [[Slavic languages|Slavic-speaking]] parts of Europe. The majority of students within that nation came from Germany and Scotland, and when it was renamed 'German nation' it was also sometimes called ''natio Germanorum et Scotorum'' ("nation of the Germans and Scots").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WmouAAAAMAAJ&q=%22+natio+Germanorum+et+Scotorum%22&pg=PA19|title=Miscellanea Scotica: Memoirs of the ancient alliance between France and Scotland. Account of the Earl of Glencairn's expedition into the Highlands of Scotland, in the years 1653-4, written by Graham of Deuchrie. Life and death of King James the Fifth of Scotland. Buchanan's inquiry into the genealogy and present state of ancient Scottish surnames; with the history of the family of Buchanan. Monro's (High Dean of the Isles) genealogies of the clans of the isles|date=21 January 2018|publisher=sold|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v6wQAAAAYAAJ&q=%22+natio+Germanorum+et+Scotorum%22&pg=PA18|title=Historical Tales of the Wars of Scotland, and of the Border Raids, Forays, and Conflicts|date=21 January 2018|publisher=Fullarton|via=Google Books}}</ref>
* Norman nation: the [[List of Ancien Régime dioceses of France#Province of Rouen (Lugdunensis Secunda)|ecclesiastical province of Rouen]], which corresponded approximately to the [[Duchy of Normandy]]. This was a Romance-speaking territory, but it was not included within the French nation.
* Picard nation: the Romance-speaking [[diocese|bishoprics]] of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Beauvais|Beauvais]], [[Ancient Diocese of Noyon|Noyon]], [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Amiens|Amiens]], [[Ancient Diocese of Laon|Laon]], and [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Arras|Arras]]; the bilingual (Romance and Germanic-speaking) bishoprics of [[Ancient Diocese of Thérouanne|Thérouanne]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cambrai|Cambrai]], and [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Tournai|Tournai]]; a large part of the bilingual bishopric of [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège|Liège]]; and the southernmost part of the Germanic-speaking bishopric of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht|Utrecht]] (the part of that bishopric located south of the river [[Meuse]]; the rest of the bishopric north of the Meuse belonged to the English nation). It was estimated that about half of the students in the Picard nation were Romance-speakers ([[Picard language|Picard]] and [[Walloon language|Walloon]]), and the other half were Germanic-speakers ([[West Flemish]], [[East Flemish]], [[Brabantian dialect|Brabantian]] and [[Limburgish]] dialects).<ref>[http://www.u-picardie.fr/LESCLaP/IMG/doc/lusignan_gervais_29082008_finale_interligne1.doc « Picard » et « Picardie », espace linguistique et structures sociopolitiques] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217051646/http://www.u-picardie.fr/LESCLaP/IMG/doc/lusignan_gervais_29082008_finale_interligne1.doc |date=17 December 2008 }}, by Serge Lusignan and Diane Gervais, August 2008</ref>

====Faculties====
{{Further|Faculty of Law of Paris}}
To classify professors' knowledge, the schools of Paris gradually divided into faculties. Professors of the same science were brought into closer contact until the community of rights and interests cemented the union and made them distinct groups. The faculty of medicine seems to have been the last to form. But the four faculties were already formally established by 1254, when the university described in a letter "theology, jurisprudence, medicine, and rational, natural, and moral philosophy". The masters of theology often set the example for the other faculties—e.g., they were the first to adopt an official seal.

The faculties of theology, canon law, and medicine, were called "superior faculties". The title of "[[Dean (education)|Dean]]" as designating the head of a faculty, came into use by 1268 in the faculties of law and medicine, and by 1296 in the faculty of theology. It seems that at first the deans were the oldest masters. The faculty of arts continued to have four procurators of its four nations and its head was the rector. As the faculties became more fully organized, the division into four nations partially disappeared for theology, law and medicine, though it continued in arts. Eventually the superior faculties included only doctors, leaving the bachelors to the faculty of arts. At this period, therefore, the university had two principal [[academic degree|degrees]], the [[Bachelor's degree|baccalaureate]] and the doctorate. It was not until much later that the [[Licentiate (degree)|licentiate]] and the [[DEA (former French degree)|DEA]] became intermediate degrees.

====Colleges====
[[File:Paris 75005 Rue Saint-Jacques La Sorbonne facade 01c.jpg|thumb|Rue Saint-Jacques and the [[Sorbonne (building)|Sorbonne]] in Paris]]
The scattered condition of the scholars in Paris often made lodging difficult. Some students rented rooms from townspeople, who often exacted high rates while the students demanded lower. This tension between scholars and citizens would have developed into a sort of civil war if [[Robert de Courçon]] had not found the remedy of taxation. It was upheld in the Bull of Gregory IX of 1231, but with an important modification: its exercise was to be shared with the citizens. The aim was to offer the students a shelter where they would fear neither annoyance from the owners nor the dangers of the world. Thus were founded the colleges (colligere, to assemble); meaning not centers of instruction, but simple student boarding-houses. Each had a special goal, being established for students of the same nationality or the same science. Often, masters lived in each college and oversaw its activities.

Four colleges appeared in the 12th century; they became more numerous in the 13th, including [[Collège d'Harcourt]] (1280) and the [[Collège de Sorbonne]] (1257). Thus the University of Paris assumed its basic form. It was composed of seven groups, the four nations of the faculty of arts, and the three superior faculties of theology, law, and medicine. Men who had studied at Paris became an increasing presence in the high ranks of the Church hierarchy; eventually, students at the University of Paris saw it as a right that they would be eligible to benefices. Church officials such as St. Louis and Clement IV lavishly praised the university.

Besides the famous Collège de Sorbonne, other ''collegia'' provided housing and meals to students, sometimes for those of the same geographical origin in a more restricted sense than that represented by the nations. There were 8 or 9 ''collegia'' for foreign students: the oldest one was the Danish college, the ''Collegium Dacicum'', founded in 1257 and named after ''[[Dacia (Denmark)|Dacia]]'', the Latin term then used for [[Denmark]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=1957 |title=Dacia |encyclopedia=Kulturhistorisk leksikon for nordisk middelalder fra vikingtid til reformasjonstid |publisher=Utg. Gyldendal |location=Oslo |url=https://www.nb.no/items/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2016053048001 |last=Gallén |first=Jarl |volume=2 : Blik-data |at=col. 608-610}}</ref> [[Sweden|Swedish]] students could, during the 13th and 14th centuries, live in one of three Swedish colleges, the ''Collegium Upsaliense'', the ''Collegium Scarense'' or the ''Collegium Lincopense'', named after the Swedish dioceses of [[Uppsala]], [[Skara]] and [[Linköping]].

The'' [[College of Navarre|Collège de Navarre]]'' was founded in 1305, originally aimed at students from [[Navarre]], but due to its size, wealth, and the links between the crowns of France and Navarre, it quickly accepted students from other nations. The establishment of the College of Navarre was a turning point in the university's history: Navarra was the first college to offer teaching to its students, which at the time set it apart from all previous colleges, founded as charitable institutions that provided lodging, but no tuition. Navarre's model combining lodging and tuition would be reproduced by other colleges, both in Paris and [[Collegiate university|other universities]].
<ref name="Geelhaar">{{Cite book |title=Cultural transfers in dispute: representations in Asia, Europe, and the Arab world since the Middle Ages |date=2011 |publisher=Campus |isbn=978-3-593-39404-6 |editor-last=Feuchter |editor-first=Jörg |series=Eigene und fremde Welten |location=Frankfurt-on-Main ; New York |editor-last2=Hoffmann |editor-first2=Friedhelm |editor-last3=Yun |editor-first3=Bee}}</ref>

The German College, ''Collegium alemanicum'' is mentioned as early as 1345, the [[Scots College (Paris)|Scots college]] or ''Collegium scoticum'' was founded in 1325. The Lombard college or ''Collegium lombardicum'' was founded in the 1330s. The ''Collegium constantinopolitanum'' was, according to a tradition, founded in the 13th century to facilitate a merging of the eastern and western churches. It was later reorganized as a French institution, the ''Collège de la Marche-Winville''. The [[Collège de Montaigu]] was founded by the [[Archbishop of Rouen]] in the 14th century, and reformed in the 15th century by the [[Humanism|humanist]] [[Jan Standonck]], when it attracted reformers from within the [[Roman Catholic Church]] (such as [[Erasmus]] and [[Ignatius of Loyola]]) and those who subsequently became [[Protestants]] ([[John Calvin]] and [[John Knox]]).

At this time, the university also went the controversy of the [[condemnations of 1210–1277]].

The [[Irish College in Paris]] originated in 1578 with students dispersed between Collège Montaigu, Collège de Boncourt, and the Collège de Navarre; in 1677 it was awarded possession of the Collège des Lombards. A new Irish College was built in 1769 in rue du Cheval Vert (now rue des Irlandais), which exists today as the Irish Chaplaincy and Cultural centre.

===15th–18th century: Influence in France and Europe===
[[File:Old.Sorbonne.1670.before.fire.jpg|thumb|right|The Old Sorbonne on fire in 1670.]]
[[File:Sorbonne 17thc.jpg|right|thumb|The Sorbonne, Paris, in a 17th-century engraving]]

In the fifteenth century, [[Guillaume d'Estouteville]], a cardinal and [[Apostolic legate]], reformed the university, correcting its perceived abuses and introducing various modifications. This reform was less an innovation than a recall to observance of the old rules, as was the reform of 1600, undertaken by the royal government with regard to the three higher faculties. Nonetheless, and as to the faculty of arts, the reform of 1600 introduced the study of Greek, of French poets and orators, and of additional classical figures like [[Hesiod]], [[Plato]], [[Demosthenes]], [[Cicero]], [[Virgil]], and [[Sallust]]. The prohibition from teaching civil law was never well observed at Paris, but in 1679 [[Louis&nbsp;XIV]] officially authorized the teaching of civil law in the faculty of [[decretal]]s. The "faculty of law" hence replaced the "faculty of decretals". The colleges meantime had multiplied; those of Cardinal Le-Moine and [[Collège de Navarre|Navarre]] were founded in the fourteenth century. The Hundred Years' War was fatal to these establishments, but the university set about remedying the injury.

Besides its teaching, the University of Paris played an important part in several disputes: in the Church, during the [[East-West Schism|Great Schism]]; in the councils, in dealing with heresies and divisions; in the State, during national crises. Under the domination of England it played a role in the trial of [[Jeanne d'Arc|Joan of Arc]].

Proud of its rights and privileges, the University of Paris fought energetically to maintain them, hence the long struggle against the mendicant orders on academic as well as on religious grounds. Hence also the shorter conflict against the [[Jesuits]], who claimed by word and action a share in its teaching. It made extensive use of its right to decide administratively according to occasion and necessity. In some instances it openly endorsed the censures of the faculty of theology and pronounced condemnation in its own name, as in the case of the [[Flagellants]].

Its patriotism was especially manifested on two occasions. During the captivity of King John, when Paris was given over to factions, the university sought to restore peace; and under Louis{{nbsp}}XIV, when the Spaniards crossed the Somme and threatened the capital, it placed two hundred men at the king's disposal and offered the Master of Arts degree gratuitously to scholars who should present certificates of service in the army (Jourdain, ''Hist. de l'Univers. de Paris au XVIIe et XVIIIe siècle'', 132–34; ''Archiv. du ministère de l'instruction publique'').

===1793: Abolition by the French Revolution===
[[File:Front of the Sorbonne.jpg|thumb|upright|The Sorbonne as seen from ''rue des Écoles''.]]

The ancient university disappeared with the [[ancien régime]] in the [[French Revolution]]. On 15 September 1793, petitioned by the Department of Paris and several departmental groups, the [[National Convention]] decided that independently of the primary schools, <blockquote>"there should be established in the Republic three progressive degrees of instruction; the first for the knowledge indispensable to artisans and workmen of all kinds; the second for further knowledge necessary to those intending to embrace the other professions of society; and the third for those branches of instruction the study of which is not within the reach of all men".</blockquote>

Measures were to be taken immediately: "For means of execution the department and the municipality of Paris are authorized to consult with the Committee of Public Instruction of the National Convention, in order that these establishments shall be put in action by 1 November next, and consequently colleges now in operation and the faculties of theology, medicine, arts, and law are suppressed throughout the Republic". This was the death-sentence of the university. It was not to be restored after the Revolution had subsided, no more than those of the provinces.

===1806–1968: Re-establishment===
The university was re-established by [[Napoleon]] on 1 May 1806. All the faculties were replaced by a single centre, the [[University of France]]. The decree of 17 March 1808 created five distinct faculties: Law, Medicine, Letters/Humanities, Sciences, and Theology; traditionally, Letters and Sciences had been grouped together into one faculty, that of "Arts". After a century, people recognized that the new system was less favourable to study. The defeat of 1870 at the hands of Prussia was partially blamed on the growth of the superiority of the German university system of the 19th century, and led to another serious reform of the French university. In the 1880s, the "licence" (bachelor) degree is divided into, for the Faculty of Letters: Letters, Philosophy, History, Modern Languages, with French, Latin and Greek being requirements for all of them; and for the Faculty of Science, into: Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Natural Sciences; the Faculty of Theology is abolished by the Republic. At this time, the building of the Sorbonne was fully renovated.<ref>Jean-Robert Pitte (ed), La Sorbonne au service des Humanités: 750 ans de création et de transmission du savoir, Presses Universitaires de Paris-Sorbonne, 2007</ref>

===May 1968–1970: Shutdown===
{{further|May 68}}

The student revolts of the late 1960s were caused in part by the French government's failure to plan for a sudden spike in the number of university students as a result of the [[Mid-twentieth century baby boom|postwar baby boom]]. The number of French university students skyrocketed from only 280,000 during the 1962–63 academic year to 500,000 in 1967–68, but at the start of the decade, there were only 16 public universities in the entire country.  To accommodate this rapid growth, the government hastily developed bare-bones off-site faculties as annexes of existing universities (roughly equivalent to American [[satellite campus]]es).  These faculties did not have university status of their own and lacked academic traditions and amenities to support student life or resident professors. One-third of all French university students ended up in these new faculties, and were ripe for radicalization as a result of being forced to pursue their studies in such shabby conditions.<ref name="Legois">{{cite book |last1=Legois |first1=Jean-Philippe |last2=Monchablon |first2=Alain |editor1-last=Dhondt |editor1-first=Pierre |editor2-last=Boran |editor2-first=Elizabethanne |title=Student Revolt, City, and Society in Europe: From the Middle Ages to the Present |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=9781351691031 |pages=67–78 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DkgrDwAAQBAJ&dq=University%20of%20Paris%201968%20split&pg=PA68 |access-date=5 February 2021 |chapter=From the Struggle against Repression to the 1968 General Strike in France}}</ref>

In 1966, after a student revolt in Paris, [[Christian Fouchet]], minister of education, proposed "the reorganisation of university studies into separate two- and four-year degrees, alongside the introduction of selective admission criteria" as a response to overcrowding in lecture halls.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Readings |first=Bill |title=The university in ruins |date=1996 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-92952-4 |location=Cambridge, Mass |pages=136–137}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Dissatisfied with these educational reforms, students began protesting in November 1967, at the campus of the University of Paris in [[Nanterre]];<ref name=":0" /> indeed, according to James Marshall, these reforms were seen "as the manifestations of the technocratic-capitalist state by some, and by others as attempts to destroy the liberal university".<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Marshall |first=James Derek |title=Postructuralism, philosophy, pedagogy |date=2004 |publisher=Kluwer academic |isbn=978-1-4020-1894-7 |series=Philosophy and education |location=Dordrecht |page=xviii |chapter=Introduction}}</ref> After student activists protested against the [[Vietnam War]], the campus was closed by authorities on 22 March and again on 2 May 1968.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Pudal |first=Bernard |title=Mai - juin 68 |date=2008 |publisher=Ed. de l'Atelier |isbn=978-2-7082-3976-0 |location=Ivry-sur-Seine |pages=190–191 |language=FR}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last1=Rotman |first1=Patrick |title=Mai 68 raconté à ceux qui ne l'ont pas vécu |last2=Devillairs |first2=Laurence |date=2008 |publisher=Seuil |isbn=978-2-02-096596-5 |location=Paris |pages=10–11 |language=FR}}</ref> Agitation spread to the [[Sorbonne (building)|Sorbonne]] the next day, and many students were arrested in the following week.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Giles |first1=Robert |last2=Snyder |first2=Robert |title=1968: year of media decision |date=2001 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |location=New Brunswick [N.J.] |isbn=9780765806215 |page=86}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> Barricades were erected throughout the [[Latin Quarter, Paris|Latin Quarter]], and a massive demonstration took place on 13 May, gathering students and workers on strike.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /> The number of workers on strike reached about nine million by 22 May.<ref name=":0" /> As explained by Bill Readings:
<blockquote>
[[Charles de Gaulle|De Gaulle]] responded on May 24 by calling for a referendum, and [...] the revolutionaries, led by informal action committees, attacked and burned the [[Euronext Paris|Paris Stock Exchange]] in response. The [[Gaullism|Gaullist]] government then held talks with union leaders, who agreed to a package of wage-rises and increases in union rights. The strikers, however, simply refused the plan. With the French state tottering, de Gaulle fled France on May&nbsp;29 for a French military base in Germany. He later returned and, with the assurance of military support, announced [general] elections [within] forty days. [...] Over the next two months, the strikes were broken (or broke up) while the election was won by the Gaullists with an increased majority.<ref name=":0" />
</blockquote>

===1970: Dissolution===
{{further|List of universities and higher education institutions in the Paris region#History since the dissolution of the University of Paris (1970)}}

Following the disruption, de Gaulle appointed [[Edgar Faure]] as minister of education; Faure was assigned to prepare a legislative proposal for reform of the French university system, with the help of academics.<ref name="auto">Berstein, p. 229.</ref> Their proposal was adopted on 12 November 1968;<ref name="auto1">Berstein, p. 229; {{cite French law|lower case=yes|number or usual name=n<sup>o</sup> 68-978|date in French=12 novembre 1968}}.</ref> in accordance with the new law, the faculties of the University of Paris were to reorganize themselves.<ref name="auto2">Conac, p. 177.</ref> This led to the division of the University of Paris into 13 universities.

In 2017, [[Paris-Sorbonne University|Paris 4]] and [[Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University|Paris 6]] universities merged to form the [[Sorbonne University]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=2017-01-20|title=" Sorbonne Université " : Pierre-et-Marie-Curie et Paris-Sorbonne en route vers la fusion|language=fr|work=Le Monde|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/campus/article/2017/01/20/sorbonne-universite-pierre-et-marie-curie-et-paris-sorbonne-en-route-vers-la-fusion_5066358_4401467.html|access-date=2020-12-09}}</ref> In 2019, [[Paris Descartes University|Paris 5]] and [[Paris Diderot University|Paris 7]] universities merged to form the new [[Paris Cité University]], leaving the number of successor universities at 11.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pauline|first=Verge|title=Les universités Descartes et Diderot fusionnent au sein de "l'Université de Paris"|url=https://etudiant.lefigaro.fr/article/les-universites-descartes-et-diderot-fusionnent-au-sein-de-l-universite-de-paris_50ac459e-4bf2-11e9-8a9c-cf6259d2906a/|access-date=2020-12-09|website=Le Figaro|date=21 March 2019 |language=fr}}</ref>

{{Successors to the University of Paris}}

The successor universities to the University of Paris are now split over of the [[Île-de-France (region)|Île-de-France]] region.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ACADÉMIE DE PARIS |url=https://www.education.gouv.fr/academie-de-paris-100049#|access-date=2024-02-28|website=Ministère de l'education nationale et de la jeunesse|language=fr}}</ref>

Most of these successor universities have joined several [[Groups of universities and institutions in the Paris region|groups of universities and higher education institutions]] in the Paris region, created in the 2010s.

==Notable people==
{{see also|List of University of Paris people}}

===Faculty===
<gallery class="center">
File:Francisco_de_Zurbar%C3%A1n_-_The_Prayer_of_St._Bonaventura_about_the_Selection_of_the_New_Pope_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg|[[Bonaventure]]
File:Guizot,_Fran%C3%A7ois_-_2.jpg|[[François Guizot]]
File:Jean-Jacques_Amp%C3%A8re.jpg|[[Jean-Jacques Ampère]]
File:Victor_Cousin_by_Gustave_Le_Gray,_late_1850s-crop.jpg|[[Victor Cousin]]
File:Henri_Poincar%C3%A9-2.jpg|[[Henri Poincaré]]
</gallery>

===Alumni===
The Sorbonne has educated 11 [[President of France|French presidents]], almost 50 French heads of government, three Popes ([[Innocent&nbsp;III]], [[Celestine&nbsp;II]], and [[Adrian&nbsp;IV]]), and many other political and social figures. The Sorbonne has also educated leaders of Albania, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Gabon, Guinea, Iraq, Jordan, Kosovo, Tunisia, and Niger among others.
<gallery class="center">
File:John Calvin - Young.jpg|[[John Calvin]]
File:Carlo_Crivelli_007.jpg|[[Thomas Aquinas]]
File:Denis_Diderot_111.PNG|[[Denis Diderot]]
File:Nicolas_de_Largilli%C3%A8re,_Fran%C3%A7ois-Marie_Arouet_dit_Voltaire_(vers_1724-1725)_-001.jpg|[[Voltaire]]
File:Honor%C3%A9_de_Balzac_(1842)_Detail.jpg|[[Honoré de Balzac]]
</gallery>
* [[Rodolfo Robles]], physician
* [[Albert Simard]], physician, activist during and post WWII.
* [[Carlos Alvarado-Larroucau]], writer
* [[Paul Biya]], President of [[Cameroon]]
* [[Jean-François Delmas (palaeographer)|Jean-François Delmas]], archivist, Director of the [[Bibliothèque Inguimbertine]] and the museums of Carpentras
* [[Aklilu Habte-Wold]], Ethiopian politician who served in [[Haile Selassie]]'s cabinet
* [[Leonardo López Luján]], Mexican archaeologist and director of the Templo Mayor Project
* [[Darmin Nasution]], [[Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs (Indonesia)|Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs]] of [[Indonesia]]
* [[Maria Pavlova|Maria Vasillievna Pavlova]] (née Gortynskaia) (1854–1939), paleontologist and academician <ref name="OgilvieHarvey2000">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LTSYePZvSXYC&pg=PA992|title=The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: L-Z|author1=Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie|author2=Joy Dorothy Harvey|author-link=Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie|author2-link=Joy Harvey|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2000|isbn=978-0-415-92040-7|pages=992–993}}</ref>
* [[Jean Peyrelevade]], French civil servant, [[French politician|politician]] and business leader.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nousbayrou.tumblr.com/post/15345499152/jean-peyrelevade-sur-son-soutien-a-hollande|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717134426/http://nousbayrou.tumblr.com/post/15345499152/jean-peyrelevade-sur-son-soutien-a-hollande|archive-date=17 July 2012|url-status=dead|title=NOUS BAYROU • Jean Peyrelevade sur son soutien à Hollande&nbsp;:...|access-date=Mar 23, 2020}}</ref>
* [[Issei Sagawa]], cannibal and murderer
* [[Tamara Gräfin von Nayhauß]], German television presenter
* [[Michel Sapin]], Deputy Minister of Justice from May 1991 to April 1992, Finance Minister from April 1992 to March 1993, and Minister of Civil Servants and State Reforms from March 2000 to May 2002.<ref name="assembly">{{cite web|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/13/tribun/fiches_id/2679.asp |title=M. Michel Sapin : Assemblée Nationale |website=Assemblee-nationale.fr |access-date=2016-11-13}}</ref>
*[[Menachem Mendel Schneerson]], Head of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement
*[[Ali Abu el-Fotoh]], was one of the most influential [[Egyptians|Egyptian]] economists from the 19th-century
* [[Ahmad al-Tayyeb]], [[Grand Imam of Al-Azhar]]
* [[Pol Theis]], attorney, interior designer, and founder of P&T Interiors in New York City
* [[Jean-Pierre Thiollet]], French writer
* [[Loïc Vadelorge]], French historian
* [[Yves-Marie Bercé]], historian, winner of the [[Madeleine Laurain-Portemer]] Prize of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques and member of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques
* [[Phulrenu Guha]], Indian Bengali politician and educationist, class of 1928
* [[Antoine Compagnon]], professor of [[French literature]] at the Collège de France
* [[Anatole Félix Le Double]], anatomist, physician, and academic
* [[Philippe Contamine]], historian, member of the [[Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres]]
* [[Pridi Banomyong]], a Thai politician and professor who played an important role in drafting [[Thailand]]'s first constitutions.
* [[Denis Crouzet]], [[Renaissance]] historian, winner of the Madeleine Laurain-Portemer Prize of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques
* [[Marc Fumaroli]], member of the Académie française and professor at the Collège de France
* Olivier Forcade, historian of Political and [[International relations]] at the [[University of Paris-Sorbonne]] and [[Sciences-Po Paris]], member of the French National Council of Universities
* [[Edith Philips]], American writer and educator
* [[Jean Favier]], historian, member of the [[Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres]], president of the French Commission for [[UNESCO]]
* [[Nicolas Grimal]], egyptologist, winner of the Gaston-Maspero prize of the [[Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres]] et member of the [[Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres]], winner of the Diane Potier-Boes Prize of the Académie française.
* [[John Kneller]] (1916–2009), English-American professor and fifth president of [[Brooklyn College]]
* [[Claude Lecouteux]], professor of Medieval German literature, winner of the Strasbourg Prize of the Académie française
* [[Jean-Luc Marion]], [[Philosopher]], member of the Académie française
* [[Tôn Nữ Thị Ninh]], former Ambassador of [[Vietnam]] to the [[European Union]]
* [[Danièle Pistone]], [[Musicologist]], member of the {{Lang|fr|[[Académie des beaux-arts]]|italic=no}}
* [[Jean-Yves Tadié]], professor of French literature, Grand Prize of the Académie française
* [[Jean Tulard]], historian, member of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques
* [[Khieu Samphan]], former [[Khmer Rouge]] leader and head of state of [[Democratic Kampuchea]]
* [[Haïm Brézis]],  French [[mathematician]] who mainly works in [[functional analysis]] and [[partial differential equation]]s
* [[Philippe G. Ciarlet]], French [[mathematician]], known particularly for his work on mathematical analysis of the [[finite element method]]. He has contributed also to elasticity, to the [[theory of plates and shells]] and [[differential geometry]]
* [[Gérard Férey]], was a French [[chemist]] who specialized in the [[Physical chemistry]] of solids and materials. He focused on the [[crystal chemistry]] of inorganic [[fluorides]] and on porous solids
* [[Jacques-Louis Lions]], was a French [[mathematician]] who made contributions to the theory of [[partial differential equation]]s and to [[Stochastic processes|stochastic control]], among other areas
* [[Marc Yor]], was a French mathematician well known for his work on [[stochastic processes]], especially properties of [[semimartingale]]s, [[Brownian motion]] and other [[Lévy processes]], the [[Bessel processes]], and their applications to [[mathematical finance]]
* [[Bernard Derrida]], a French [[Theoretical physics|theoretical]] [[physicist]]. He is best known for his work in [[statistical mechanics]], and is the eponym of ''Derrida plots'', an analytical technique for characterising differences between [[Boolean networks]].
* [[François Loeser]], a French [[mathematician]] who specialized in [[algebraic geometry]] and is best known for his work on [[Motivic Integration|motivic integration]], part of it in collaboration with [[Jan Denef]]
* [[Achille Mbembe]], Cameroonian [[Intellectual historian]], [[Political philosophy]], author of ''[[On the Postcolony]]'', introduced the concept of [[necropolitics]]
* [[Claire Voisin]], French mathematician known for her work in [[algebraic geometry]]
* [[Jean-Michel Coron]], French [[mathematician]] who studied the [[control theory]] of [[partial differential equation]]s, and which includes both control and stabilization
* [[Michel Talagrand]], French [[mathematician]] specialized in [[functional analysis]] and [[probability theory]] and their applications
* [[Claude Cohen-Tannoudji]], French [[physicist]] who specialized in methods of [[laser cooling]] and trapping atoms
* [[Serge Haroche]], French [[physicist]] who specialized in [[Quantum mechanics|quantum physics]], whose other works developed [[laser spectroscopy]]
* [[Riad Al Solh]], First Prime-minister of [[Lebanon]]
* [[Benal Nevzat İstar Arıman]] (1903–1990), one of the first woman members of the Turkish parliament (1935)
* [[Abdelkebir Khatibi]], Moroccan literary critic, novelist, philosopher, playwright, poet, and sociologist
* [[Muhammad Shahidullah]], Bengali linguist, educationalist, and social reformer
* [[Raphael Armattoe]], Ghanaian medical doctor, politician, poet and writer
* [[Wu Songgao]] (1898–1953), [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] politician, jurist and political scientist
* [[Abdul Hafeez Mirza]] (1939–2021) Pakistani tourism worker, cultural activist and Professor of French. Recipient of [[Ordre des Palmes académiques|Ordre des Palmes Academiques]]
* [[Rostislav Doboujinsky]] (1903-2000), Russian designer
* [[Barbara Jo Allen]] (1906–1974), American actress
* [[Inam Karimov]], Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Azerbaijan
* [[Gérard de Vaucouleurs]], observational astronomer known for his work on galaxies
*[[Lucien Abenhaim]] Pharmacoepidemiologist, professor of Public Health, and former General Director of Health for France.
* [[Nadine Ribault]] (1964–2021), writer and translator
* [[Élodie Yung]], actress.

===Nobel laureates===
{{see also|List of Nobel laureates by university affiliation}}

====Alumni====
Nobel Prize winners who had attended the University of Paris or one of its thirteen successors are:
{{div col|colwidth=}}
#{{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Albert Fert]] (PhD) – 2007
#{{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Alfred Kastler]] (DSc) – 1966
#{{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Gabriel Lippmann]] (DSc) – 1908
#{{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Jean Perrin]] (DSc) – 1926
#{{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Louis Néel]] (MSc) – 1970
#{{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Louis de Broglie]] (DSc) – 1929
#{{Nobel abbr|Ph}} {{Nobel abbr|Ch}} [[Marie Curie]]<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1911/marie-curie-facts.html|title=Marie Curie – Facts|website=www.nobelprize.org|access-date=2016-11-10}}</ref> (DSc) – 1903, 1911
#{{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Pierre Curie]] (DSc) – 1903
#{{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Pierre-Gilles de Gennes]] (DSc) – 1991
#{{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Serge Haroche]] (PhD, DSc) – 2012
#{{Nobel abbr|Ch}} [[Frédéric Joliot-Curie]] (DSc) – 1935
#{{Nobel abbr|Ch}} [[Gerhard Ertl]] (Attendee) – 2007
#{{Nobel abbr|Ch}} [[Henri Moissan]] (DSc) – 1906
#{{Nobel abbr|Ch}} [[Irène Joliot-Curie]] (DSc) – 1935
#{{Nobel abbr|Ch}} [[Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff]] (Attendee) – 2007
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[André Frédéric Cournand]] (M.D) – 1956
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[André Lwoff]] (M.D, DSc) – 1965
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[Bert Sakmann]] (Attendee) – 1991
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[Charles Nicolle]] (M.D) – 1928
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[Charles Richet]] (M.D, DSc) – 1913
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[François Jacob]] (M.D) – 1965
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[Françoise Barré-Sinoussi]] (PhD) – 2008
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[Jacques Monod]] (DSc) – 1965
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[Jean Dausset]] (MD) – 1980
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[Luc Montagnier]] (MD) – 2008
#{{Nobel abbr|Ec}} [[Gérard Debreu]] (DSc) – 1983
#{{Nobel abbr|Ec}} [[Maurice Allais]] (D.Eng.) – 1988
#{{Nobel abbr|Ec}} [[Jean Tirole]] (PhD) – 2014
#{{Nobel abbr|Pe}} [[Albert Schweitzer]] (PhD) – 1952
#{{Nobel abbr|Pe}} [[Charles Albert Gobat]] (Attendee) – 1902
#{{Nobel abbr|Pe}} [[Ferdinand Buisson]] (DLitt) – 1927
#{{Nobel abbr|Pe}} [[Léon Bourgeois]] (DCL) – 1920
#{{Nobel abbr|Pe}} [[Louis Renault (jurist)|Louis Renault]] (DCL) – 1907
#{{Nobel abbr|Pe}} [[René Cassin]] (DCL) – 1968
#{{Nobel abbr|Li}} [[Giorgos Seferis]] (LLB) – 1963
#{{Nobel abbr|Li}} [[Henri Bergson]] (B.A) – 1927
#{{Nobel abbr|Li}} [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] (B.A) – 1964
#{{Nobel abbr|Li}} [[Patrick Modiano]] (Attendee) – 2014
#{{Nobel abbr|Li}} [[Romain Rolland]] (D Litt) – 1915
#{{Nobel abbr|Li}} [[T.S.Eliot]] (Attendee) – 1979{{div col end}}
<gallery align="center">
Paul Nadar - Henri Becquerel.jpg|[[Antoine-Henri Becquerel]]
Marie_Curie_c1920.jpg|[[Marie Skłodowska Curie]]
Ren%C3%A9_Cassin_nobel.jpg|[[René Cassin]]
Henri_Bergson_02.jpg|[[Henri Bergson]]
Sartre_1967_crop.jpg|[[Jean-Paul Sartre]]
Jean_Tirole.jpg|[[Jean Tirole]]
</gallery>

====Faculty====
List of Nobel Prize winners who were affiliated with the University of Paris or one of its thirteen successors.
{{div col}}
#{{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[George Smoot]] (Professor) – 2006
# {{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Gabriel Lippmann|<u>Gabriel Lippmann</u>]] (Professor) – 1908*
# {{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Jean Perrin|<u>Jean Perrin</u>]] (Professor) – 1926*
# {{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Louis de Broglie|<u>Louis de Broglie</u>]] (Professor) – 1929*
# {{Nobel abbr|Ph}}{{Nobel abbr|Ch}} [[Marie Curie|<u>Marie Curie</u>]]<ref name=":2" /> (Professor) – 1903*, 1911*
#{{Nobel abbr|Ph}} [[Alfred Kastler|<u>Alfred Kastler</u>]] (Researcher) – 1966
#{{Nobel abbr|Ch}} [[Henri Moissan|<u>Henri Moissan</u>]] (Professor) – 1906*
#{{Nobel abbr|Ch}} [[Irène Joliot-Curie|<u>Irène Joliot-Curie</u>]] (Professor) – 1935*
#{{Nobel abbr|Ch}} [[Peter Debye]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Courtens|first1=Eric|editor1-last=Gonzalo|editor1-first=Julio A.|editor2-last=Aragó López|editor2-first=Carmen|title=Great solid state physicists of the 20th century|date=2003|publisher=World Scientific|location=River Edge, N.J.|isbn=9789812795267|pages=144–145|chapter=Peter Debye – A Life for Science}}</ref> (Visiting Lecturer) – 1936
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[Charles Richet|<u>Charles Richet</u>]] (Professor) – 1913*
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[Jules Bordet]] (Researcher) – 1919
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[Roger Guillemin]] (Researcher) – 1977
#{{Nobel abbr|PM}} [[Jean Dausset|<u>Jean Dausset</u>]] (Professor) – 1980*
#{{Nobel abbr|Pe}} [[Louis Renault (jurist)|<u>Louis Renault</u>]] (Professor) – 1907*
#{{Nobel abbr|Li}} [[T.S. Eliot]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/fasearch/findingAid.cfm?eadid=00478|title=T. S. (Thomas Stearns) Eliot: An Inventory of His Collection in the Manuscript Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center|website=norman.hrc.utexas.edu|access-date=2016-11-06}}</ref> (Visitor) – 1948
{{div col end}}
<gallery align="center">
Gabriel Lippmann2.jpg|[[Gabriel Lippmann]]
Jean Perrin 1926.jpg|[[Jean Perrin]]
Kastler.jpg|[[Alfred Kastler]]
Ir%C3%A8ne Joliot-Curie Harcourt.jpg|[[Irène Joliot-Curie]]
Jules Bordet signed.jpg|[[Jules Bordet]]
Thomas Stearns Eliot by Lady Ottoline Morrell (1934).jpg|[[T. S. Eliot]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Royal Commission on Animal Magnetism}}
* {{annotated link|Faculty of Law of Paris}}
* [[List of split up universities]]
* [[List_of_medieval_universities#List|List of medieval universities]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Catholic|wstitle=University of Paris|ref=none}}

==Further reading==
* [[Alfred Franklin (historian)|Franklin, Alfred]]: [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006515481 ''La Sorbonne: ses origines, sa bibliothèque, les débuts de l'imprimerie à Paris et la succession de Richelieu d'après des documents inédits, 2. édition''], Paris: L. Willem, 1875
* Leutrat, Jean-Louis: ''De l'Université aux Universités'' (From the University to the Universities), Paris: Association des Universités de Paris, 1997
* Post, Gaines: ''The Papacy and the Rise of Universities'' Ed. with a Preface by William J. Courtenay. Education and Society in the Middle Ages and Renaissance 54 Leiden: Brill, 2017.
*Rivé, Phillipe: ''La Sorbonne et sa reconstruction'' (The Sorbonne and its Reconstruction), Lyon: La Manufacture, 1987
* Tuilier, André: ''Histoire de l'Université de Paris et de la Sorbonne'' (History of the University of Paris and of the Sorbonne), in 2 volumes (From the Origins to Richelieu, From Louis{{nbsp}}XIV to the Crisis of 1968), Paris: Nouvelle Librairie de France, 1997
* Verger, Jacques: ''Histoire des Universités en France'' (History of French Universities), Toulouse: Editions Privat, 1986
* Traver, Andrew G. 'Rewriting History?: The Parisian Secular Masters' ''Apologia'' of 1254,' ''History of Universities'' 15 (1997–9): 9–45.

==External links==
{{commons category|Université de Paris}}
{{Wikisourcelang|fr|Loi du 10 juillet 1896 relative à la constitution des universités}}
* [http://www.sorbonne.fr/ Chancellerie des Universités de Paris] (official homepage)
* [http://lamop-vs3.univ-paris1.fr/studium/ Projet Studium Parisiense] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002215222/http://lamop-vs3.univ-paris1.fr/studium/ |date=2018-10-02 }}: database of members of the University of Paris from the 11th to 16th centuries
* [https://www.sorbonne.fr/toutes-les-universites/ Liste des Universités de Paris et d'Ile-de-France : nom, adresse, cours, diplômes...]

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[[Category:1150 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:1150s establishments in France]]
[[Category:12th-century establishments in France]]
[[Category:1970 disestablishments in France]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in the 12th century|Paris, University of]]
[[Category:Defunct educational institutions]]
[[Category:Medieval European universities]]
[[Category:Philip II of France]]