academically autonomous coeducational institution of higher learning at Freiburg im Breisgau, Ger., financially supported by the state of Baden-Württemberg. Founded in 1457 by Archduke Albrecht of Austria and confirmed by the Holy Roman emperor and the pope, the university was at first named after its founder, but at the beginning of the 19th century added “Ludwig” to the name in honour of its patron, Archduke Ludwig of Baden. Beginning in 1620 Jesuits took over its teaching in philosophy and the chief theological chairs. When Freiburg was ceded to Louis XIV of France in 1677, the university fled to Constance, Switz. Reestablished in Freiburg early in the following century, it developed into a centre for the Catholic Enlightenment in south Germany. Becoming a state institution, it gained fame for its instruction in law. The modern university includes faculties of theology, law, medicine, economics, philosophy, mathematics, the sciences, and forestry.