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The Rise of Universities and Displacement of Monasteries

Lesson Transcript
Instructor Jessica Elam Miller

Jessica has taught college History and has a Master of Arts in History

Before the High Middle Ages, monasteries throughout Europe were educational centers. Explore monasticism in the High Middle Ages, the impact of the Crusades, the growth of education, and the birth of the university to understand how universities replaced monasteries as educational centers.

Crusaders returned home with the works of classical scholars
Classical Scholars

Monks are Christians who adhere to rules that separate them in some way from society. The earliest monks may have been found in ancient Egypt. Early monks were hermits who rarely interacted with any other people. They spent their days focusing on spirituality and maintaining solidarity. However, these early monks didn't always sustain their solitude. Eventually, monks began to form connections with each other for mutual support. Monasteries developed when monks found they could successfully sustain a spiritual life by living, working, and worshipping together under the same roof.

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  • 0:06 Monasticism and the…
  • 1:38 The Crusades' Impact
  • 2:13 The Growth of Education
  • 3:10 The University is Born
  • 5:45 Lesson Summary

Medieval craftsmen and artisans created guilds
Guilds

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During this time, Western Europe was experiencing a population increase. Increased trade and commercialism led to a higher demand for clerics who could read and keep records. As we've learned, until now monasteries were in control of education. However, education was generally limited to those who needed to be literate - mainly clergy. Now other citizens needed to be able to read and write. Church schools could no longer handle the educational needs of the people and town schools began to open. This meant people other than clergy could now receive a classical education. Classical texts had become more accessible and schools became more numerous.

Teachers took the ideas of their classical predecessors and taught students to reason and interpret rather than lecturing. Debating became one of the dominant forms of education. Debating could be useful for administrators and lawyers, who were needed both in the Church and within the royal community.

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As educational centers were developing in Western Europe, many medieval people were forming guilds. Medieval guilds were formed by artisans and craftsmen to help regulate quality and ensure fair prices for goods. Likewise, students and teachers at educational centers organized themselves into associations and petitioned for legal rights. This is where the term 'university' comes from. The word universitas in Latin means 'a group of people organized into one guild'.

The University of Paris is one of the first universities
University of Paris

One example of this legal right is the idea of academic freedom. At one of the earliest universities, the University of Bologna, a charter was adopted that allowed a traveling scholar to be unimpeded as he pursued his scholarly ventures. A charter was a document that formalized the rights of a university.

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Before the Middle Ages, education was mainly a function of, and necessary only for, clergy in the Catholic Church. Catholicism was the dominant religion all over Western Europe, giving a heavy influence to the Pope. Clergy were encouraged to be educated so they could read scripture, but the Church saw little need for anyone outside of their ranks to possess this skill. Monastic centers developed as groups of monks found comfort and encouragement in each other's company. As many monks were literate and could copy texts, they became centers for educating clergy.

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This video lesson will help you describe the impetus and eventual growth of universities in Europe during the Middle Ages.

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