A brief history of the University
As the oldest university in the English-speaking
world, Oxford is a unique and historic institution. There is no clear
date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096
and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students
from attending the University of Paris.
In 1188, the historian, Gerald of Wales, gave a public
reading to the assembled Oxford dons and in 1190 the arrival of Emo of
Friesland, the first known overseas student, set in motion the
University's tradition of international scholarly links. By 1201, the
University was headed by a magister scolarum Oxonie, on whom the title
of Chancellor was conferred in 1214, and in 1231 the masters were
recognized as a universitas or corporation.
In the 13th century,
rioting between town and gown (townspeople and students) hastened the
establishment of primitive halls of residence. These were succeeded by
the first of Oxford's colleges, which began as medieval 'halls of
residence' or endowed houses under the supervision of a Master.
University, Balliol and Merton Colleges, which were established between
1249 and 1264, are the oldest.
Less than a century later, Oxford
had achieved eminence above every other seat of learning, and won the
praises of popes, kings and sages by virtue of its antiquity,
curriculum, doctrine and privileges. In 1355, Edward III paid tribute to
the University for its invaluable contribution to learning; he also
commented on the services rendered to the state by distinguished Oxford
graduates.
From its early days, Oxford was a centre for lively
controversy, with scholars involved in religious and political disputes.
John Wyclif, a 14th-century Master of Balliol, campaigned for a bible
in the vernacular, against the wishes of the papacy. In 1530, Henry VIII
forced the University to accept his divorce from Catherine of Aragon,
and during the Reformation in the 16th century, the Anglican churchmen
Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley were tried for heresy and burnt at the stake
in Oxford.
The University was Royalist in the Civil War, and
Charles I held a counter-Parliament in Convocation House, and in the
late 17th century, the Oxford philosopher John Locke, suspected of
treason, was forced to flee the country.
The 18th century, when
Oxford was said to have forsaken port for politics, was also an era of
scientific discovery and religious revival. Edmund Halley, Professor of
Geometry, predicted the return of the comet that bears his name; John
and Charles Wesley's prayer meetings laid the foundations of the
Methodist Society.
The University assumed a leading role in the
Victorian era, especially in religious controversy. From 1833 onwards
The Oxford Movement sought to revitalise the Catholic aspects of the
Anglican Church. One of its leaders, John Henry Newman, became a Roman
Catholic in 1845 and was later made a Cardinal. In 1860 the new
University Museum was the scene of a famous debate between Thomas
Huxley, champion of evolution, and Bishop Wilberforce.
From 1878,
academic halls were established for women and they were admitted to full
membership of the University in 1920. Five all-male colleges first
admitted women in 1974 and, since then, all colleges have changed their
statutes to admit both women and men. St Hilda's College, which
was originally for women only, was the last of Oxford's single sex
colleges. It has admitted both men and women since 2008.
During
the 20th and early 21st centuries, Oxford added to its humanistic core a
major new research capacity in the natural and applied sciences,
including medicine. In so doing, it has enhanced and strengthened its
traditional role as an international focus for learning and a forum for
intellect
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