University of Florence

            Throughout the High and Late Middle Ages universities were established in many of Europe’s leading cities such as Paris, Cambridge, and Prague. Universities were especially prevalent in Italy, and would be a point of pride for the republics or principalities they were hosted in. Florence was no exception, and in 1321 CE a Studium Generale was established in the Florentine Republic. The early university was ratified by a bull from Pope Clement VI, legitimizing and officially recognizing all titles that it conferred. In this early form, the University of Florence taught Civil and Canon Law, Literature, and Medicine, with Theology being added to the catalogue shortly after it was founded.

            Medieval universities such as the University of Florence are impactful for a number of reasons. First, they were an early example of specialized study in the arts and sciences. Departments dedicated to particular areas of study were established, and would come to be institutionalized. Second, Studium Generale was a new form of higher education, one that came to replace cathedrals and monasteries as the standard in Europe. These new schools were open to any capable student, and were not restricted to locals. The establishment of institutions such as these helps to explain the diffusion of knowledge that took place during the Late Middle Ages, and sets the stage for the Renaissance. The emphasis on universities in Italy may also help explain why so much of the early activity during the Renaissance was centered on the peninsula, especially in Florence, which is often called the birthplace of the Renaissance.

               The groundwork for our university system is an artifact of the Middle Ages. Just as we value our institutions of higher learning, so too did medieval peoples. Without an understanding of medieval universities, we have an incomplete history of our university system.

References:

Cobban, Alan, The Medieval Universities: Their Development and Organization, London: Harper & Row, 1975.

Haskins, Charles Homer. The Rise of Universities. Gordon Press, 1976.

 “History - University - Università Degli Studi Di Firenze - UniFI.” Www.unifi.it, https://www.unifi.it/vp-10280-history.html.

Images:

“Visual Gallery - University - Università Degli Studi Di Firenze - UniFI.” Www.unifi.it, https://www.unifi.it/vp-10729-visual-gallery.html.