Gaines Post, The Papacy and the Rise of Universities. Edited with a Preface by William J. Courtenay. Education and Society in the Middle Ages and Renaissance 54.

Abstract

This chapter presents a review of Gaines Post’s doctoral dissertation The Papacy and the Rise of Universities. He divides his work into two parts; part one ‘The Papacy and the Constitution of the Universities’, examines how the papacy influenced the emergence of universities while part two, ‘The Papacy and the Members of the University’, details how the papacy aided the members of the university through financial support for the masters and students. What Post had accomplished in this dissertation was to compile a thorough survey of papal interaction with multiple universities from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, using primarily papal bulls as his sources. This work surveyed an impressive range of topics, addressing papal influence and intervention in the areas of licensing to teach—including the right to teach anywhere—internal development of the faculties, material support for masters and students, regulation of housing rents, and the founding of colleges.