André de Gouveia

Who was André de Gouveia?

André de Gouveia was a Portuguese humanist and pedagogue during the Renaissance.

André de Gouveia became one of the first Portuguese to study in the Collège Sainte-Barbe, in Paris, which was then directed by his uncle Diogo de Gouveia. After attending six years in maitrise des Arts he earned a degree as doctor in theology, and simultaneously, began teaching at the college.

Starting in 1530, due to the many diplomatic missions that kept his uncle away, André was entrusted by him with the direction of the Collège. As an adept of the most advanced religious ideas, André de Gouveia bent Saint Barbe into the Humanist ideals. There in 1531 he appointed regent Nicolas Cop. After Cop's contested inaugural address as rector of the university in 1533, he was appointed rector of the University of Paris for the college of arts, introducing new rules for transparency and fairness among all disciplines, but soon departed.

He left to take charge as principal of the College of Guienne, in Bordeaux. He had been invited by the municipal authorities, and was given full freedom to modernize the old college.