The University of Paris: The Model University of the Middle Ages

     Universities began to blossom all over Europe around the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. In France, one of the most popular universities of the Middle Ages arose, the University of Paris. The University of Paris became home to many ecclesiastics, or people of the Church. People from all over Western Christendom came in masses to study at the university, as the number of students grew rapidly (Bennett 180). The University of Paris had four faculties: Arts, Medicine, Law, and Theology. While the Arts was the lowest of these faculties, it was also the largest because students had to graduate from the Arts to move into another faculty. Students at the university were also divided, based on their language or region, into four nations: France, Normandy, Picard, and England. The style of faculties and nations that the University of Paris implemented became popular and was the standard for all future universities of the Middle Ages (McIntosh).

     The University of Paris operated under the rules of: Equality, Collegiality, Morality, and Studies, which is demonstrated through the famous Latin saying, “Vivere socialiter et collegialiter et moraliter et scholariter” ("The Sorbonne"). The university was unique in the fact that it had both rich and poor students together at the same university. The "poor" students would receive full tuition thanks to the giving donors of the institution. This mixture of rich and poor was not seen before the rise of the University of Paris and other universities similar to it ("The Sorbonne"). Before, only the "elite" of the Middle Ages could go get an education. The University of Paris was able to help change that ideology, which also impacted many future universities in the Middle Ages and beyond. 

     The students at the University of Paris seemed to have a pretty traditional university life. Students would spend their days taking notes in lectures, their afternoons playing various sports and activities, and their evenings to either study or go out on the town (Bennett 181-182). This mixture of study and play was key to the success of students at the university. Students at the University of Paris were able to live both a religious and secular life if they wanted, which gave them the ability to get involved in religious or secular activities after they were done with the university. After they moved on, the students at the University of Paris had a large impact on society in the Middle Ages. The University of Paris gave students a unique experience that they had no access to before the rise of university. This great university gave students power when they left that many other universities of the Middle Ages strived to provide their students with as well. The influence of the University of Paris was both lasting and important to the Middle Ages, and to today's times.

Sources 

Bennett, Judith M. Medieval Europe: A Short History. 11th ed., McGraw Hill, 2011.

McIntosh, Matthew A. “A History of the Medieval University of Paris.” We're Never Far from Where We Were, 27 Jan. 2019, https://brewminate.com/a-history-of-the-medieval-university-of-paris/. 

“The Sorbonne in the Middle Ages.” La Chancellerie Des Universités De Paris, https://www.sorbonne.fr/en/the-sorbonne/history-of-the-sorbonne/la-fondation-de-la-sorbonne-au-moyen-age-par-le-theologien-robert-de-sorbon/.