The roots of the university lie in the Leucorea, founded in 1502 in Wittenberg. The Alma mater Vitebergensis had Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon as their most famous scholars. It was also the most prestigious university in central Europe. Following the foundation of the University of Wittenberg in 1530/1531 by Cardinal Albrecht, the University of Halle was founded on 12 July 1694 with a spectacular baroque ceremony. Already in 1680, Michel Milie dit la Fleur, a Huguenot, founded a language school which in 1688 resulted in the so called Ritterschule, and the philosopher Christian Thomasius who was exiled from Leipzig started teaching the nobility from 1690.

The foundation of the University of Halle stood at a turning point in German and European university history. Whereas in Wittenberg and Leipzig a strong Lutheran influence dominated, at the University of Halle academic freedom was considered to be essential for teaching and research. From the beginning, the four faculties had six internationally renowned academics: the lawyers Christian Thomasius and Samuel Stryck, the theologist August Hermann Francke, the philosopher Christian Wolff, and the physicians Friedrich Hoffman and Georg Ernst Stahl.

In the 18th century, Halle was among the four biggest universities in Germany. However, in the beginning, the medical faculty was the smallest of the four faculties. From 1693 until 1700, only 144 medical students were among the 2884 students at the University. Between 1731 and 1742, about 1500 students entered the …