Karel Ferdinand Irmler

Who is Karel Ferdinand Irmler?

Karel Ferdinand Irmler was a Moravian lawyer and the first professor of secular law at University of Olomouc.

Irmler was born in Olomouc to a family of local physician. He studied at the Faculty of Philosophy of University of Olomouc and Law at the University of Prague, where he defended his dissertation in 1674 and 1675. Since 1678 he was privately teaching law in Vienna.

He became the first professor of law at University of Olomouc, giving the first lecture at 8 in the morning on January 3, 1679 to six students.

It was Moravian nobility that forced establishment of Professorate of Law by a decree of Emperor Leopold I despite the opposition of Jesuits, who were in charge of the University. Irmler was paid 150 gulden a year directly by the nobility and was obliged to teach only students immatriculated at the University. As Jesuits opposed the secular law lectures, he was forced to give lectures in his house. He held the post of professor of law until 1691. Late in his life, he was blind.