Grenoble, Gratianopolis, ancient town in France, capital of the Dauphiné region, with bishopric subject to the authority of the archdiocese of Vienne, and a parliament established in 1493 by Louis XI, who was still only the Dauphin. His father ratified the establishment two years later.

Grenoble is located on the Isère river, eleven leagues southwest of Chambèry, forty-two northwest of Turin, sixteen southeast of Vienne, and 124 southwest of Paris. Longitude following Harris, 23d. 31'. 15"; following Cassini, 23d. 14'. 15". Latitude 45d. 11'.

The town was given the name Gratianopolis by the emperor Gratian, son of Valentinian I. It was previously called Cularo ; it is so called in a letter from Plancus to Ciceron, epist. xxiii. Much later, the Romans made it a city. By the 5th century, it was subject to the Burgundians, and in the sixth to the Merovingian Franks; next it was ruled by Lothar II, Boson, Charles III, Louis III, Rudolph II, Conrad, Rudolph the Coward, and his sons, who accorded it great privileges.

Guy Pape, who died in 1487, is among a number of jurists from Grenoble. His [work], Recueil de décisions des plus belles questions de droit , is still remembered.

Born in this city on June 23, 1651, M. de Bouchenu de Valbonnais, (Jean Pierre Moret) was the first president of the parliament of Grenoble. He earned the title of the region's most learned historian for his beautiful history of the Dauphiné, published in three volumes in folio. He died in 1730 at the age of 79. He traveled in his youth, and found himself aboard the English fleet in the battle of Solbaye, the most violent Ruyter had ever seen, where both sides claimed the advantage. [1]

1. The Battle of Solebay took place in 1672, during the third Anglo-Dutch War. Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter was the admiral of the Dutch fleet. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michiel_de_Ruyter.