Teaching mathematics and astronomy in France: the Collège Royal (1550--1650) (Q2432656)

At the time when the Collège Royal -- to become the famous Collège de France -- was founded, i.e., in 1530, astronomy held only a secondary position among the other mathematical sciences. The leading places being held by mathematics and geometry. A disadvantage in this respect was the fact that astronomy was considered as part of the humanistic domain. The first important teacher in the chair of mathematics was Finé, the most famous mathematician of France in those times. Together with his assistant, Pascal du Hamel, Finé published original studies and translations on practical astronomy. There followed, in a declining period (mainly caused by the religious wars) Jean de la Pène, Pierre Forcadel, the first one not having a humanist background, Dampestre Cosel, Charpentier, each of them having different teaching styles, different approaches of the problems which, of course, affected the continuity in the field. Special mention should be made of the Collège's reorientation in the XVIth century, towards the German model of teaching (translations of the recent German textbooks and manuals first). All in all, the development in the domain was slow and not spectacular, although the cosmological innovations of Tycho Brahe, Kepler and Galileo came finally under discussion.