Valence

Valence stands on the Rhône, where the river links Dauphiné with the Mediterranean. Its cathedral of Saint Apollinaris and the bishop's city developed beside a major route through the valley. In 1452 the dauphin Louis, later Louis XI, founded a university here; its schools attracted booksellers and printers to the neighbourhood of the cathedral. The Wars of Religion interrupted this intellectual life. In 1562 Protestant troops under the Baron des Adrets occupied Valence and damaged its religious buildings, including the cathedral. The university nevertheless continued to draw scholars, among them the jurist Jacques Cujas, who returned to teach at Valence in 1567.