The Rise of Universities by Charles Homer Haskins - Essay Example

On the one hand, a university represented a traditional craft-type corporation (universitas), which brought together people of a specific occupation type. At the same time, the internal organization of universities hold quite an unusual, for that sort of corporations, position - it was given the certain features of republicanism: all full-fledged “citizens” had the right to elect and be elected to various university positions. According to some researchers, the earliest university in Medieval Europe was the one in Salerno.

 It was developing on the basis of the oldest medical school of Salerno, the first mention of which dates back to 197 A.D. The Hippocratic community (civitas Hippocratica), which existed there, preserved and developed the best of the ancient medical heritage. Salerno medical school, as one of the largest educational centers, was known until 1812. However, it did not become the university. Mainly, because the school did not teach on the same high level (as medicine) all the remaining subjects.

  The named above reason accounts for the fact that it’s considered that the most ancient European universities are the ones in Bologna, which was founded at the end of the 11th century, and Paris – the 12th century. The named universities, although formed almost simultaneously, differed in their internal structure and epitomized the two main types of universities in Medieval Europe. The first (Bologna) university developed as the major centre for study of Roman law in Western Europe. According to contemporaries, in the early 13th century, more than 10 thousand people from all over Europe studied in Bologna.

  The famous Bolognese professors had so many listeners that had to lecture outside, in the streets. Almost all the languages ??of Europe were represented there. The university became known a global one. It was Bologna, where for the first time appeared the so-called fraternities. It grew up on the basis of urban secular schools (School of Glossators) and was the organization of students. This means that the student guilds arrogated to themselves the right to manage the entire process of university life.

 Teachers of the University of Bologna were denied the right to vote at university meetings; the entire training process took place under the strict supervision of students and professors could be fined for violations of academic activity. But especially famous in Medieval Europe was the University of Paris – Sinai of education. Not without reason there was a common saying in those days - in Italy - the papacy, in Germany - the Emperor, in France – the University. It had about seven thousand people, which included not only teachers and students, but operational staff as well (booksellers, scribes of manuscripts, makers of parchment, pens, ink powder, apothecaries, innkeepers and moneylenders, who lend money to schoolmen and teachers).

 Unlike the University of Bologna, it was controlled by associations of teachers, not schoolmen. But those were not just teacher - students of senior faculties, who managed to complete the preparatory faculty (foundation studies). They were both Masters of the seven Liberal Arts and students. Naturally, they began to oppose themselves to other teachers, schoolies and townspeople, claiming to determine their status. In 1215 ended the struggle for autonomy of the University of Paris against the bishop.

 Paris masters received the support of the Pope, however, for that they were