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The medal has been minted in 1988 to commemorate the French king FRANCIS I, 1494 – 1547, and the foundation of the College de France.

It is signed by the prominent French medalist, Michel BADUEL. 

Francis I (French: François I^er) (12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was a monarch of the House of Valois who ruled as King of France from 1515 until his death. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his cousin and father-in-law Louis XII, who died without a male heir.

The Collège de France (French pronunciation: ​[kɔlɛʒ də fʁɑ̃s]) is a higher education and research establishment (Grand établissement) in France. It is located in Paris, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles.

av. King Francois I

rv. The College de France 

size - 68 mm (ca 2¾“)

weight – 185.10 gr, (6.53 oz)

metal – bronze, authentic mint patina 

Reign

As Francis was receiving his education, ideas emerging from the Italian renaissance were influential in France. Some of his tutors, such as Desmoulins (his Latin instructor) and Christophe de Longueil (a Brabantian humanist), were attracted by these new ways of thinking and attempted to influence Francis. His academic education had been in arithmetic, geography, grammar, history, reading, spelling, and writing and he became proficient in Hebrew, Italian, Latin, and Spanish. Francis came to learn chivalry, dancing, and music and he did love archery, falconry, horseback riding, hunting, jousting, real tennis, and wrestling. He ended up reading philosophy and theology and he was fascinated with art, literature, poetry, and science. Francis' mother was fascinated by Italian Renaissance art, and passed this interest on to her son. Although Francis did not receive a humanist education, he was more influenced by humanism than any previous French king.

Patron of the arts

By the time he ascended the throne in 1515, the Renaissance had arrived in France, and Francis became an enthusiastic patron of the arts. At the time of his accession, the royal palaces of France were ornamented with only a scattering of great paintings, and not a single piece of sculpture, either ancient or modern. During Francis' reign the magnificent art collection of the French kings, which can still be seen at the Louvre Palace, was begun.

Francis patronized many great artists of his time, including Andrea del Sarto and Leonardo da Vinci; the latter was persuaded to make France his home during his last years. While Leonardo painted very little during his years in France, he brought with him many of his greatest works, including the Mona Lisa (known in France as La Joconde), and these remained in France after his death. Other major artists to receive Francis' patronage include the goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini and the painters Rosso Fiorentino, Giulio Romano, and Primaticcio, all of whom were employed in decorating Francis' various palaces. Francis also commissioned a number of agents in Italy to procure notable works of art and ship them to France.

Collège de France

The Collège de France (French pronunciation: ​[kɔlɛʒ də fʁɑ̃s]) is a higher education and research establishment (Grand établissement) in France. It is located in Paris, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles.

It was established in 1530 by King Francis I of France, as an imitation of the Collegium Trilingue in Louvain, at the urging of Guillaume Budé. Of humanist inspiration, the school was established as an alternative to the Sorbonne to promote such disciplines as Hebrew, Ancient Greek (the first teacher being the celebrated scholar Janus Lascaris) and Mathematics.^[1] Initially called Collège Royal, and later Collège des Trois Langues (Latin: Collegium Trilingue), Collège National, Collège Impérial, it was named Collège de France in 1870.

Unusually for an institution of higher education in France, each professor is required to give lectures where attendance is free and open to anyone. The school's goal is to "teach science in the making". Professors are chosen from a variety of disciplines, in both science and the humanities. The motto of the Collège is "Docet Omnia," Latin for "It teaches everything", and its goal can be best summed up by Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phrase: "Not preconceived notions, but the idea of free thought" which is inscribed in golden letters above the main hall of the Collège building.

The Collège does not grant degrees but has research laboratories and one of the best research libraries of Europe, with sections focusing on history with rare books, humanities, social sciences and also chemistry or physics.

As of June 2009, over 650 audio podcasts of Collège de France lectures are available on iTunes. Some are also available in English and Chinese. Similarly, the Collège de France's website hosts several videos of classes.

Faculty

The faculty of the Collège de France currently comprises fifty-two Professors, elected by the Professors themselves from among Francophone scholars in subjects including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, history, archaeology, linguistics, oriental studies, philosophy, the social sciences and other fields. Two chairs are reserved for foreign scholars who are invited to give lectures.

Notable faculty members include Serge Haroche, awarded with Nobel Prize in Physics in 2012.