The central theme of this history is the Free University as a private institution founded to provide Christian higher education. At its founding in 1880, the Vrije University had only five professors and five students. Among the other public universities, it struck an odd figure and seemed destined for failure. Yet founder Abraham Kuyper never wavered in his determination to build a special Reformed, Calvinist university. Arie van Deursen here recounts the engrossing history of this unique university in its 125th year, using fully documented archival sources to detail the school’s ups and downs over the years.