State and explain four reasons for the rise of universities in Europe

1.The Muslim Influences.
Muslims carried their Jihads into Europe reaching Spain in about 900 AD. In the process of their conquest, they gave Spain an Islamic civilization which included intellectual life. Muslims had acquired Greek civilization. This together with Syrian learning and learning the Hindu sources, they had picked mathematical and astronomical knowledge which they brought into Spain as areas of new learning and new knowledge.
In this connection, the European monks were attracted to his training because it was superior. Consequently, the Muslims helped establish universities at Cordova, Toledo, and at Seville.
Curriculum at these universities covered the following areas:
-Physics
-Mathematics
-Astronomy
-Chemistry
-Medicine
-Psychology
-Philosophy
-Law
The most outstanding record accredited to the Islamic influence of the time is in medicine. The ‘Canon of medicine ‘by Avicenna, (980-1037).

2.The development of scholasticism

From about the 11C to about 15C, there appeared in Europe a new future in educational development. This was a future characterized by scholastic method which consisted of citing all known authorities from both sides of a given academic question. Thereby, a variety of distinction to show how each authority may be reconciled.
This was a method explication of what was simplicity in mysticism. Bernard (AD. 1153) was the architect.
Scholasticism was the systematization of speculation and by faith, the strict application of Aristotelian logic to the philosophical and theological question of middle ages. This method became necessary for the following factors:
-To correct the mystical tendencies of the orient
-To put Europe in national thought of ancient world
-to save Europe from moral suicide and ignorance
-To compel Christendom to raise itself and to state its position as definitely opposed to Islam
-The most important of the scholasticism was the Thomas Aquinas (1255-1274 AD). He tried to combine the Aristotelian thought with the Christian tradition of his time.

3.The emergence of wealth and cities.

The emergence of cities due to the development of commerce led to wealth among peoples of Europe. There was a development arising from the trade far a field from Europe following the reports and successes of the European explorers. This led to the development of the commercial enterprises and the development of the local governments. This in turn led to the development of interest in secular education more than ever before.
It is the development of these new interest in education and higher intellectual speculation that led to the developments of universities.
The growth of secular interests promoted educational speculations. This led to universities to offer causes which led to the setting up of faculties at the universities in the following order:
-The faculty of Arts (the seven liberal arts)
-Grammar
-Rhetoric
-Dialect
-Arithmetic
-Geometry
-Astronomy
-Music
-The faculty of law
-The faculty of Music
-The faculty of Divinity
-Not all the universities which were established at the time offered courses in all of these faculties. For example, the university of Salerno was founded in AD 1224 specialized in medical training. And Bologna which was established in AD 1158, specialized in law. At the same time the university of Paris which was established in AD1180, specialized in Divinity.

D. The kings and the universities

The founding of the higher education and subsequently the establishment of the universities was greatly encouraged by the privileges granted by the pope in Rome and the emperors of the time.
The privilege included the granting of the university authority documents called ‘charters’. These documents gave universities full recognition and the right to operate as a distinct educational body of a higher learning. The first charter was given to the university of Bologna in AD 1158 by Emperor Fredrick 1.
Medieval universities were organized around the teaching faculties and the students population. They were organized like guilds. Students to these universities were drawn from all over Europe. The only differences among the students were the language and the kinship. These the only natural divisions at the universities. Therefore students and masters were organized into groups according to their national affiliations.
Teaching methods in these universities were based on the formal lecture. However, the lecture were to be memorized by students to indicate the mastery and the acquisition of the expected knowledge. Lectures included the reading and explaining of the required text. Then, the students debated the relevant points which each other on the basis of a group discussions among the students themselves. At some time, the points discussed among the student’s groups were brought for disputation between the students and their masters. The medium of communication in these universities was Latin.
The universities awarded degrees. The award were made after a successful end of every course. The examination were administered under strict conditions. Examination included thesis which the students had to defend before the members of the faculty.
However the examination for the doctoral degrees were even more strict. They lasted for a week or even more. These examination were both written and oral. They strictly tested the ability to defend and to dispute.
The successful candidates became master, doctors, or professors. This had the meaning that, the candidates were able to defend, dispute and determine a case, accordingly they were allowed or authorized to teach publicly.
Although the medieval period was educationally static due to the barbaric conquests and although universities were usually restricted, formalized and meager, their greatest influence was in crystallizing intellectual interests and rebuilding libraries and creating better prepared teachers and in making them more accessible than the religious institutions did.
However, universities provided academic retreats for the more and few geniuses who could have access to such places. Such geniuses of the time include the following:
-Bacon 1214-1294
-Dante 1265-1321
-Patriarch 1304-1374
-Wyclifee 1324-1384
-Huss(burned) -1415
-Copernicus 1473-1543
Unlike the religious institution, the Universities were democratic in nature such that, politically, ecclesiastically and theologically, they were bulwark of freedom due to their legal status and privileges. Therefore, universities preserved freedom of expression and opinion. It noted that, even monarchs respected scholars’ opposing views such that there were few instances of violation of student’s rights and privileges. It is on record that even monarchs such as Henry111 and Philip of France appealed to the universities for arbitration in their divorce cases.

---

Titany answered the question on August 30, 2021 at 07:53