A quick presentation of the history of one of the oldest faculties in France.
The study of law in Orléans, officially recognised by Pope Gregory IX, dates back to the 13th century and most likely much earlier (picture of the “salle des thèses” in 1306 below). This is how a “studium generale” consecrated University by Pope Clement V in the early 14th century was born.
Attended by French and foreign students from ten nations, the University of Orléans was renowned throughout Europe, mainly through its teaching of law. Famous people attended it: François Rabelais, Jean Calvin, Etienne de la Boétie, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, Charles Perrault, Jean de la Bruyère and many others.
An exceptional lawyer, Robert Joseph Pothier, studied and taught there, and left his mark on French and international laws. Often presented as the “father of the Civil Code”, he significantly influenced German, English, Polish, Argentinian laws and even Japanese law.
In 1793, a decree closed all the French universities.
It was not until the mid-sixties that Orléans went back to a university tradition of over seven centuries.
The origins of our university’s revival were: Roger Secrétain, elected Mayor of Orléans in 1959, Gérald Antoine, first rector of the new Orléans-Tours academy, and Pierre Sudreau, then Minister of National Education.
This project was part of the larger framework of the creation of the new city of La Source accompanied by the arrival of the BRGM and the CNRS on the site.
This project was part of the larger framework of the creation of the new city of La Source accompanied by the arrival of the BRGM and the CNRS on the site.
This ambitious goal required to mobilise significant financial resources and an inevitable progression over time in their implementation.
This is how on 3 June 1966 the Law and Economics College, then placed under the authority of Poitiers faculty, was created. In Orléans, the long tradition of civil law teaching, which made it one of the most prestigious European universities between 1219 and 1793, was back.
Since then, the faculty of Law, Economics and Management of Orléans has been adapting its teaching to the social and economic requirements of our contemporary society and has developed three main teaching and research centres:
- Law centre
- Economics centre
- Management centre
Many joint research projects unite lawyers, economists and managers. This multi-disciplinarity associated with a strong transversality is one of the main assets of the faculty of Law, Economics and Management of Orléans.