In the 13th and 14th centuries amidst the High Middle Ages, the political stability, positive economic conditions, and growth of cities which invigorated the growth and exchange of both goods and ideas lead to the emergence of the first medieval universities in Bologna and Salerno, Italy. The benefits of education resulting from the growth of universities encouraged the revival and growth of thought in the High Middle Ages. The Medieval university testifies to the prevailing influence of the Catholic church in the Middle Ages through the justice system, the teachers chosen, and the rules and regulations at university.
The justice system of the medieval university is a testimony to how the Catholic church permeated through the many aspects of university life and thought. If students of a medieval university committed infractions, they were not at the mercy of the town justice system. Instead, all disciplinary and judicial matters were conducted inside the universities private justice system, which was ecclesiastical. The prevailing power of the church over students in universities is exemplified through the words from the text, “Royal Privileges Granted to the University of Paris by the King of France”, which states, “...neither our provost nor our judges shall lay hands on a student for any offence whatsoever; nor shall …show more content…
Robert de Sorbon mentions in his Regulations for His College, “No one therefore shall eat meat in the house of Advent, nor on Monday or Tuesday of Lent, nor from Ascension Day to Pentecost”. The rules in Robert de Sorbon’s university most likely mirror the rules in many of the other universities in the High Middle Ages. The inclusion of rules that pertain to religious matters, such as the fasting during Advent and Lent, show that the Catholic Church influenced the student life at universities through the rules and regulations of a