There oldest university of the world is the university of Bolognafounded in 1088. Originally at the university they only taught legal studiesbut over the years many other disciplines have been added. The history of the university is inextricably linked to that of Bologna and over the centuries the so-called Alma Mater Studiorum it has known moments of splendor and periods of crisis, often determined by political and social changes. In the twentieth century it became, like other universities in the Western world, amass universityand the number of students has increased exponentially. Today the University of Bologna is the second Italian university by number of students and has numerous branches in the city and in other centers of Emilia-Romagna.
The foundation of the University of Bologna
The University of Bologna was born in the Middle Ages. The “conventional” date of the foundation is 1088established in 1888 by a commission of professorspresided over by Giosuè Carducci, although the first certain testimonies date back to a few decades later.
The foundation of the university must be contextualized in the cultural growth of the Late Middle Ages. Until the 11th century, throughout Europe, higher education was provided only in churches and monasteries, with a few exceptions. After the year one thousand they were also born secular teaching institutionsthe first of which was the one in Bologna, specialized in teaching law. In the space of a few decades, institutions of the same spread across many European territories. Generally, they were attended by students from various countries, who were divided into nations (nations) based on place of origin. The union of the various nations formed the universities (literally “totality”), that is, the student community, which had an important role in the management of the universities. From universities our word university comes from.
Evolution over the centuries
Over the centuries the University of Bologna has undergone numerous changes. In the 12th century, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa recognized it “officially”, guaranteeing its freedom from the interference of political authority, and in the 14th century, alongside legal studies, it began to be taught other disciplines: medicine, philosophy, rhetoric, grammar, arithmetic. The University was located in several buildings and Bologna became an important intellectual hub, earning the nickname “La Dotta”. The students were organized into nations and divided in two universities: citramontani (Italians) and ultramontani (coming from countries located beyond the Alps).
In 1506 Bologna became part of the Papal Statein which it would remain, with an interruption during the Napoleonic era, until the unification of Italy. The change profoundly influenced the university, which also had its first “unitary” headquarters in the 16th century: the Archiginnasio palacespecially built at the behest of the Pope.
In the 1600s the Alma mater faced a crisis: the number of students decreased and the cultural level dropped. Already in the following century, however, the recovery began. Like other universities, the University of Bologna was attended almost exclusively by men, but in the 18th century a teaching role was assigned to a woman for the first time, Laura Bassireader of philosophy.
At the end of the eighteenth century Bologna passed from the Papal State to Cispadane Republic and later in the other “Napoleonic” states founded in central-northern Italy. The university hired a more modern form and changed location, moving from the Archiginnasio to Poggi Palacestill the seat of the rectorate today.
In 1814 Bologna returned to the Papal State, but the main changes that the University had undergone were not cancelled. In 1860, most teachers and professors welcomed the unification of Italy and the end of the temporal power of the Popes.
In recent decades the Alma mater has transformed into amass university: students, professors and courses of study have increased exponentially.
Famous students and professors of the University of Bologna
Over the centuries, the University of Bologna has seen the passage of great intellectuals both among students and professors. In the Middle Ages the Alma Mater was attended by Francesco Petrarca and, perhaps, also by Dante Alighieri (but his presence in Bologna is not certain). In the following centuries, the humanist passed through the university halls Leon Battista Albertithe theologian and philosopher Erasmus of Rotterdamthe astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. In more recent times, Giosuè Carducci he was a professor of Italian eloquence, Giovanni Pascoli he attended the university both as a student and as a professor, Pier Paolo Pasolini he earned a degree in literature, Umberto Eco he taught semiotics. And many other names of famous intellectuals could be mentioned.
The Alma mater today
Today the University of Bologna has around 84,000 students (not counting those attending master’s and other post-graduate courses) and is the second university in terms of number of students enrolled after “La Sapienza” in Rome. THE professors are 5,489 and the technical-administrative staff is made up of over 3,000 people. In a Censis ranking on the efficiency of Italian universities, based on various criteria – employability of graduates, student services, internationalization, etc. – the Alma Mater came first among the large state universities.
Today the University has its “heart” in the center of Bologna, in university area near via Zambonibut has numerous offices both in the city and in other locations in Emilia Romagna: Cesena, Ravenna, Forlì and Rimini.
Other ancient universities
The birth of the Alma Mater, as we have mentioned, takes place in the broadest flowering of universities of the Middle Ages. Establishing the date of foundation of the universities is not easy, due to the lack of sources, but, according to the most accredited theories, the five oldest universities after the Alma mater are the following:
- University of Oxfordborn in 1096
- University of Salamancaborn in 1134
- University of Parisborn in 1170
- University of Cambridgeborn in 1209
- University of Paduaborn before 1222
