The emergence of universities in the middle ages

Abstract

The chapter begins with an analysis of the historical context in which European universities were born. The time of the emergence of universities (the twelfth and thirteenth centuries) coincided with a major medieval transition period in Europe, characterised by changes both in social power structures and in the ecclesiastical thinking of the Catholic Church. The analysis is followed by a description of the emergence of the first universities – Bologna and Paris – which became the models for other universities. The idea of restoring the true and original university (reformatio) was followed at the new universities founded throughout Europe, even though each university developed its own version of the models of Bologna and Paris. The author examines why medieval universities had a uniform faculty structure and similarities in curricula. He also analyses the medieval student body, academic degrees, and the mobility of professors. In addition, the author reflects on scholasticism as a medieval science, collegiums as a form of collaboration and a solution to accommodation problems, and the university as a European social innovation. The chapter closes by discussing the cornerstones and historical layers of medieval universities, which laid the basis for the development of modern European universities, including those founded in Finland.