In 1229, a student riot at the University of Paris resulted in the deaths of a number of students, and the student strike in protest which followed lasted more than two years and led to a number of reforms of the medieval university. The event demonstrates the power struggles between Church, secular leaders and the emerging student class, as well as a lessening of Church authority over the university.

Background

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The University of Paris was founded around 1150 and was one of the first universities in Europe and considered the most prestigious because of its focus on the "Queen" of science, theology. It was the model for all others including Oxford University. It was run by the Church and students were considered part of the church and thus wore robes and shaved the tops of their heads to signify they were under the protection of the church. Students operated according to the rules and laws of the Church and were not subject to the king's laws or courts. This presented ongoing problems of students abusing the laws of the city, which had no direct recourse for justice and had to appeal to Church courts. Students were often very young entering the school at age 13 or 14 and staying for 6 to 12 years. Students were from many different regions speaking many different languages and were generally organized into bands according to their native language of origin (Latin spoken by all at school), as well as coming from many different economic backgrounds, some were essentially young street thugs.

The riot

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In March 1229, on Shrove Tuesday, Paris's pre-Lenten carnival began. This was similar to a Mardi Gras where one wore masks and generally let loose. The students often drank heavily and were rowdy, and in the suburban quarter of Saint Marcel a dispute broke out between a band of students and a tavern proprietor over a bill which led to a physical fight. The students were beaten up and thrown into the streets. The next day, seeking revenge, the students returned in larger numbers armed with wooden clubs, broke into the tavern, beat the offenders and destroyed the establishment. Other shops were damaged in a subsequent riot which spilled into the streets.

Because students were exempt from the king's courts, angry complaints were filed with the Popes courts. However, the Pope's courts knew that the University tended to be very protective of its students, and fearing causing a split like that of Cambridge University from Oxford, they were trying to approach the matter carefully. However, the secular ruler, Blanche of Castile, the ruler of France during the minority of Louis IX, stepped in and demanded retribution. The university authorized the city's police to punish the student rioters. The city guardsmen, known for their rough nature, found a group of students and with an unexpectedly heavy hand, killed several of them. The dead students were later rumored to be innocent of the actual riot.

The strike

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The response from the university was to immediately go on strike. Classes were closed and striking students either went to other universities such as Rheims, Oxford or Toulouse, or returned home or found employment elsewhere. Faculty ceased to teach.

After two years of negotiations, Pope Gregory IX, an alumnus of Paris himself, on April 13, 1231 decreed the Parens Scientarum ("The Mother of Sciences"), which has been called the Magna Carta of the University of Paris because it guaranteed the school a larger measure of independence from papal authority.

See also

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• Revolt of 1173-1174 - Aristocracy revolt.
• William Fitz Osbern (1196) - Urban unrest.

Bibliography

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• Hastings Rashdall, The Universities of Europe in the Middle Ages, Oxford University Press, 1936.

University of Paris | 1229 | History of France | Student strikes | Riots and civil unrest in France