French Institute

French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which being probably the Académie française.

The institutes manages approximately one thousand foundations. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which amounted to a total of 5,028,190.55 euros for 2002. Most of these prizes are awarded by the Institute on the recommendation of the académies.

History

The Institut de France was created on October 25, 1795.

Académies

• Académie française (French Academy, concerning the French language) - founded in 1635
• Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres (Academy of Humanities) - founded in 1663
• Académie des sciences (Academy of Sciences) - founded in 1666
• Académie des beaux-arts (Academy of Fine Arts) - created in 1816 as the merger of the Académie de peinture et de sculpture (Academy of Painting and Sculpture, founded 1648), the Académie de musique (Academy of Music, founded in 1669) and the Académie d'architecture (Academy of Architecture, founded in 1671)
• Académie des sciences morales et politiques (Academy of Moral Sciences and Politics) - founded in 1795, suppressed in 1803, reestablished in 1832

Influence

The Royal Society of Canada, founded in 1882, was modeled after the Institut de France and the Royal Society of London.

See also

• National academy
• List of honorary societies