The Chair of Conflict: A Study of Nicolas Goulu’s Diploma (1567)

On September 15, 1567, a jury composed of royal lecturers (the former title for professors at the Collège de France) and poets of the Pléïade awarded Nicolas Goulu a diploma attesting to his qualifications, thereby enabling him to hold a chair in Greek. Behind this document lay particularly intense tensions between certain scholars, notably Pierre de La Ramée and Jacques Charpentier. The conflict, which centered on the procedures for gaining access to the lecturers’ chairs, led to the establishment of an initial assessment of the candidates’ qualifications. The examination consisted of several lectures, the distant ancestors of the traditional opening lecture.