On This Day

Pope Martin V founds the University of Leuven (Netherlands), today one of Europe's oldest universities [1]

The Old University of Leuven is the name historians give to the university, or studium generale, founded in Leuven, Brabant (then part of the Burgundian Netherlands, now part of Belgium), in 1425.

The Old University of Leuven is the name historians give to the university, or studium generale, founded in Leuven, Brabant (then part of the Burgundian Netherlands, now part of Belgium), in 1425. The university was closed in 1797, a week after the cession to the French Republic of the Austrian Netherlands and the principality of Liège (jointly the future Belgium, by and large) by the Treaty of Campo Formio.

Historical Significance

The Old University of Leuven is the name historians give to the university, or studium generale, founded in Leuven, Brabant (then part of the Burgundian Netherlands, now part of Belgium), in 1425.

Events Before

  1. Zen teacher Ketsugan performs exorcisms to free Aizōji Temple in Fukushima, Japan

    Zen teacher Ketsugan performs exorcisms to free Aizōji Temple in Fukushima, Japan

  2. Arnold van Egmont becomes Duke of Gelre

    Arnold van Egmont becomes Duke of Gelre

  3. Hundred Years' War: Battle of Cravant - the French army is defeated by the English on the banks of the river Yonne in Bu

    Hundred Years' War: Battle of Cravant - the French army is defeated by the English on the banks of the river Yonne in Burgundy

  4. Louis XI is born

    Louis XI is born

  5. Storm flood ravages Dutch coast

    Storm flood ravages Dutch coast

Events After

  1. Jews are expelled from Bern, Switzerland

    Jews are expelled from Bern, Switzerland

  2. Pope Martinus V declares Jacqueline, Countess of Haintaut's marriage to Humphrey Duke of Gloucester invalid

    Pope Martinus V declares Jacqueline, Countess of Haintaut's marriage to Humphrey Duke of Gloucester invalid

  3. Valais witch trial proceedings begin in Valais Canton, Switzerland, the first organized witch trials

    Valais witch trial proceedings begin in Valais Canton, Switzerland, the first organized witch trials

  4. English siege of Orleans broken by Joan of Arc and the French army

    Joan of Arc is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronation of Charles VII of France during the…

  5. Duke Philip the Good (33) weds Isabella of Portugal (32) by proxy (he in Burgundy, she in Portugal)

    Duke Philip the Good (33) weds Isabella of Portugal (32) by proxy (he in Burgundy, she in Portugal)

More from the 1420s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 9, 1425?
The Old University of Leuven is the name historians give to the university, or studium generale, founded in Leuven, Brabant (then part of the Burgundian Netherlands, now part of Belgium), in 1425. The university was closed in 1797, a week after the cession to the French Republic of the Austrian Netherlands and the principality of Liège (jointly the future Belgium, by and large) by the Treaty of Campo Formio.
Why is Pope Martin V founds the University of Leuven (Netherlands), today one of Eur... significant?
The Old University of Leuven is the name historians give to the university, or studium generale, founded in Leuven, Brabant (then part of the Burgundian Netherlands, now part of Belgium), in 1425.

Explore More