Académie Française

The Académie Française , also known as the French Academy, is the principal <a href="/facts/France/CxIeIKM3">French</a> council for matters pertaining to the <a href="/facts/French_language/qe1DnaQh">French language</a>. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by <a href="/facts/Cardinal_Richelieu/8QJRAcvV">Cardinal Richelieu</a>, the chief minister to King <a href="/facts/Louis_XIII/lQLogryS">Louis XIII</a>. Abolished in 1793 during the <a href="/facts/French_Revolution/PIkDlrC0">French Revolution</a>, it was restored as a division of the <a href="/facts/Institut_de_France/jrre6kaI">Institut de France</a> in 1803 by <a href="/facts/Napoleon/8TKBIjPM">Napoleon Bonaparte</a>. It is the oldest of the five académies of the institute. The body has the duty of acting as an official authority on the language; it is tasked with publishing an official dictionary of the language.
The Académie comprises forty members, known as les immortels ("the immortals"). New members are <a href="/facts/Co-option/1mvIHMe0">elected by the members of the Académie itself</a>. Academicians normally hold office for life, but they may resign or be dismissed for misconduct. <a href="/facts/Philippe_P%25C3%25A9tain/QkjzCWoK">Philippe Pétain</a>, named <a href="/facts/Marshal_of_France/wPj5T63p">Marshal of France</a> after the <a href="/facts/Battle_of_Verdun/MFWmu6fK">Battle of Verdun</a> of <a href="/facts/World_War_I/vITTUanQ">World War I</a>, was elected to the Académie in 1931 and, after his governorship of <a href="/facts/Vichy_France/7wTyYUnW">Vichy France</a> in <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>, was forced to resign his seat in 1945.

Académie Française open-in-new

Académie Française