When we think of medieval Europe we often picture knights and castles, not classrooms. But the world’s oldest university in continuous operation is the University of Bologna in Italy, founded all the way back in 1088 CE. It’s almost a thousand years old and still teaching students today.
Bologna’s classes were nothing like modern universities. There were no buildings at first - professors and students just rented rooms around the city. Students traveled from all over Europe and lived in groups based on where they came from. They paid the professors directly. If a teacher was boring, late or skipped class, students could fine him.
Other ancient universities soon followed: Oxford in England (founded around 1096), Cambridge in 1209, and Paris around 1150. These early universities taught law, medicine, philosophy and astronomy. Many of them still exist today, with libraries holding original handwritten medieval textbooks.
