Commission of Public Instruction

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Commission of Public Instruction

In France, the Commission of Public Instruction (Commission de l'instruction publique) ran national education from 1815 to 1820. It had five main members: Pierre-Paul Royer-Collard (president), Georges Cuvier, Philibert Guéneau de Mussy, Antoine-Isaac Silvestre de Sacy, and Dominique Eliçagaray. In 1820 it was replaced by the Royal Council of Public Instruction (1820–1845).

What happened

- During the First Bourbon Restoration, Louis XVIII abolished the office of Grand Master and the University Council in February 1815. Education oversight was given to a Royal Council chaired by Louis-François de Bausset.
- Napoleon returned in March 1815, dissolved that council, and briefly restored the grand master of the university (Lacépède, then Lebrun in May 1815).
- After the Second Restoration, an August 15, 1815 ordinance kept the University of France structure but moved leadership to the Commission of Public Instruction. The commission took over duties of the grand master, university council, chancellor, and treasurer; it also acted as rector for the University of Paris, served as an academic council, and managed the university’s endowment. The president issued diplomas and approved salaries and pensions.
- The founding five members were appointed by Louis XVIII, and the secretary-general was Claude-Bernard Petitot, inspector general of studies.

Key changes in leadership and structure

- April 1816: Frayssinous resigned and was replaced by Dominique Eliçagaray.
- August 20, 1819: Royer-Collard resigned; Georges Cuvier became interim president.
- June 1820: Royer-Collard left the commission after his removal from the Council of State.
- July 22, 1820: Membership increased to seven with three new members—Dominique-Charles Nicolle, Ambroise Rendu, and Siméon Denis Poisson.
- October 4, 1820: Joseph-Henri-Joachim Lainé was named president, but he did not take the role; Cuvier remained as interim president.
- November 1, 1820: A royal ordinance restructured the body as the Royal Council of Public Instruction (1820–1845), giving the president some of the old powers of the grand master.