In the 11th and 13th centuries, the first universities began to emerge in European metropolises such as Parma, Milan, Cambridge and Oxford. They arose around graduates of monastic and episcopal schools, who attracted students to themselves, gradually forming structured learning communities.
By the way, the term "university" (from the Latin universitas) was originally applied to any association of people bound by common goals and oaths: it could be either a craft guild association or an urban commune. Over time, this name was attached to communities of an academic nature.
The creation of corporations within the medieval schools (studia) was motivated by the need to protect common goals and interests. Many students came from other cities and needed support in a foreign land, for example, to protect themselves from unfair court decisions or excessively high rents, and periodically came into conflict with local residents.
In the universities of the Middle Ages, a system of mutual support developed, where, despite the existence of hierarchy, the principles of equality prevailed. These first educational institutions were autonomous and independent of ecclesiastical or secular authorities: universities independently determined their own rules, elected rectors, and accepted new members. The right to self-government was very jealously guarded, and local authorities supported universities, seeing them as a source of prestige and high-quality bureaucracy.
Over time, universities began to be created on the initiative of rulers, which increased their role in society.
How was the training organized and who taught?
In medieval Europe, the leading academic degree was licentia ubique docendi, which translates from Latin as "the right to teach everywhere." This allowed the holder of this degree to teach at universities in any European country
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Universities were given the right to issue degrees that were universally recognized, usually by the popes, and less often by monarchs. Obtaining such a diploma was considered the beginning of work as a formalized educational institution, its institutionalization.
Medieval universities had an open-door policy, and education was not the privilege of a particular class. However, the training was financially costly, as universities needed funds to operate. Teachers usually charged tuition fees, although in universities founded by the authorities they received a salary. The need for funding has constantly raised the issue of access to education.
Nevertheless, university education was also available to the poorest segments of the population. The church, episcopates, cities, or wealthy benefactors often covered part of the students' expenses. Universities could submit to Rome lists of applicants for papal benefices , a kind of scholarship. In places with strong secular power, students could count on support from the city commune, the monarch, or the emperor. In exchange for such support, students were sometimes obligated to serve their benefactor, whether in the church or in the civil service, after their studies. As a rule, these conditions were negotiated in advance, a kind of target place.
Universities also provided tuition opportunities on preferential terms or free of charge for the poorest students.
Students were constantly looking for ways to earn money to finance their studies and living expenses, such as copying books or working as secretaries. Sometimes, due to the need to earn money, students had to interrupt their studies, but they could return to it later. Despite the opportunity to earn money, many students lived in virtual poverty, in modest rooms, often sharing housing with other students.
The number of free university places was often reduced in favor of teachers' children, leaving fewer and fewer opportunities for poor students. In addition, some educators, alas, took advantage of students' financial situation by providing loans and then charging increased tuition fees as "interest."
Most of the students did not reach the master's degree, the "dropout" in the faculties was great. However, even getting a bachelor's degree brought respect, high social status, and opened the way to good places!
Live Fun While You're Young
"Gaudeamus igitur, Juvenes dum sumus!" is the lyrics of an ancient student hymn that is said to have originated at the University of Heidelberg. This Latin exhortation can be translated as "Let's rejoice while we're young" or "Let's have fun while we're young." The second translation is more in line with the spirit of the times, judging by the list of prohibitions for students of the Middle Ages...
For example, the "Perfect Student's Manual" of 1495 forbade playing with citizens on weekends, truancy, beating children, damaging books, inciting rebellion, singing during ceremonial events, and participating in performances in church buildings and churchyards.
Fights among students and with locals, however, were part of student life. Students of all degrees caused a lot of problems for city dwellers: they fought with passers-by, participated in fights and duels, made noise at night, harassed women...
Even academic arguments often escalated into fights! Some young people entered universities only for the sake of a fun student life. To combat this problem, in 1231 the Roman Curia issued a special statute stating that those who were called students but did not attend lectures could not claim student privileges.
