Political Relations of the University of Paris, 1200-1450

Abstract

Political Relations of the University of Paris, 1200-1450 Nathan Parmeter 1 Introduction After the Western Roman Empire disintegrated, intellectualism and education dramatically declined in Western Europe as disorder, decay and instability took hold. 2 Emerging out of the chaos came a revival of urban areas and trade, which in turn led to a renewed interest in academia and scholarly work. 3 In the long-run, this newly-found interest in education and academia precipitated the rise of the universities, which were considered the pinnacle of Medieval education and learning as the idea and structure of the university became unique to Western Europe during this period. 4 One of the most significant universities from this era was the University of Paris, which was founded in the mid-12 th Century and like other universities, became a corporation created through a charter. 5 Over time, the institutional rules that allowed the University of Paris to remain independent as a corporate entity created special political relations between the university corporation, inside factions within the university, the Catholic Church and state authorities. Early on, the power of the university to decide its own regulations and rules produced factions within the university to vie for that power, while years later, the university created special political relations with state authorities to advance its interests in contemporary French politics. Background and History of the Medieval University During the early half of the Medieval Period, education and academia in Western Europe underwent several major changes as the region declined and then rebounded to economic and social stability. For several hundred years after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 472 A.D., the intellectual sphere in Western Europe collapsed as chaos, urban decline and frequent migrations and invasions became the norm. 6 During that time, scholarly work and education were the jobs of transmitters at rural monastery schools, who spread ideas of intellectualism and classical works to upcoming cohorts of students. 7 In the 900s and 1000s, cathedral schools emerged as newer centers of intellectualism and education, with different schools focusing on The author, being also an editor, recused himself from the editing process regarding this article. It received no special treatment and was required to conform to all standard requirements. Edward Grant, The Foundations of Modern Science in the Middle Ages: Their Religious, Institutional, and Intellectual Contexts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 18-19. Ibid., 19. Ibid., 34. Marcia Colish, Medieval Foundations of the Western Intellectual Tradition, 400-1400 (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997), 267. Edward Grant, The Foundations of Modern Science in the Middle Ages: Their Religious, Institutional, and Intellectual Contexts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 18-19. Marcia Colish, Medieval Foundations of the Western Intellectual Tradition, 400-1400 (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997), 54-55.