University of Rennes 1

The University of Rennes 1 is one of the two main universities in the city of Rennes, France. It is under the Academy of Rennes. It specializes in science, technology, law, economy, management and philosophy. The University of Rennes 1 has been in existence since 1969, but its heritage stems back to the days of the Breton university founded in 1461. There are currently about 26,000 students enrolled, with about 1,800 members of teaching staff and 1,700 other staff members employed by the university.Asked by Francis II, Duke of Brittany, the Pope created the first university of Brittany in Nantes in 1460 . It taught arts, medicine, law, and theology. In 1728, the mayor of Nantes, Gérard Mellier, asked that the university be moved to Rennes, Nantes being more trade orientated. The Law school was thus moved the Rennes in 1730. This city already had the Parliament of Brittany, it was thus more suited to have this School. In 1793 the French Revolution closed all universities. It is not before 1806 that the Law school reopened in Rennes.In 1808, Napoleon I reorganized the universities in France, creating the University of France. From the 2 original cities housing the University of Brittany, only Rennes was included in this University. Nantes had to wait until 1970 to have again its university. In 1810 a faculty of letters opened, which gathered in 1835 five schools (French literature, foreign literature, antic literature, history, and philosophy). The science faculty opened still in Rennes in 1840. Those 3 faculties remained without clear boundaries between them until 1885 with the creation of a "Conseil des facultés" which took in 1896 the name of University of Rennes. In the middle of the 19th century, they were gathered in the Palais Universitaire, located currently in the Quai Émile Zola, but were then scattered downtown. The faculty of law and the faculty of letter were thus relocated in 1909 in the Séminaire, located currently in the Place Hoche.