Throughout time, universities have always been an important aspect in history because they support the foundation of knowledge. Today’s universities have immensely evolved from what they used to be in the medieval times; they were formerly under the control of the papacy. For instance, Ugo di Segni, also known as Gregory IX aided the University of Paris overcome a long dispute, known as the Great Dispersion. He was born on 1145 and died in 1241 in Rome. He was appointed as pope in 1227 after the death of Honorius III. (FN: encyclopedia) He is known for establishing canon laws such as the Decretals, decrees of ecclesiastical discipline for the Catholic Church. (FN: encyclopedia) for being a true believer of theology, and for defending the rights of the universities. He is well-known for instituting the papal bull Parens Scientiarum for the University of Paris. The term university signifies masters and students engaged in higher education and study, later known as studium generale. (FN: The University and the City) It also derives from the latin word universitas, a student body. Its disciplines were mostly centered around law, medicine, theology and even art. A person could only become a student if he was a pupil to a specific teacher. (FN: A History of the university in Europe) The University of Paris was founded in the 12th century and with its help, Paris expanded, its population rose, and it became a major commercial center, which eventually led it to become the capital of the France. (FN: the university and the city) It was an impressive city that catched the attention of many people from all around the world. The more people and students who came, the more the city’s economy prospered. But all that was interrupted with the notorious Great Dispersion in 1228-29. This conflicting event took place at a local tavern in town, where students argued with the owner over the bill. The neighbours of the owner came to his aid and an unpleasant brawl commenced between them and the students. The Queen of France, Blanche of Castile (1188-1252), wife of Louis VIII (r. 1223-1226) and mother of King Louis IX (r. 1226-1270), heard of the ridiculous news and ordered guards of law and order to punish the culprits but instead, they unintentionally attacked innocent unarmed students who were just minding their own business. (FN: The University in Medieval Life) Furious and outraged, the teachers of the university responded by going on strike and suspending their lectures. They could not understand how such actions could be executed without any thorough investigation on the real perpetrators. The university was quick to defend the students because it was just another situation to add to the ongoing battle against the state. A notice was also given that if there was no justice for their actions within a month, the university would disband for six years. (FN: The First University) But the elite paid no attention and ignored their cause. Disappointed with the reaction of both parties, Pope Gregory IX took it upon himself to create the bull for the university Parens Scientiarum in 1231. He realised that the economy of Paris would suffer if the strike continued any longer. The bull helped establish the rights and the privileges of the students and the teachers at the University of Paris. For instance, it provided the right of the university to inaugurate its own statutes, the right to punish the students for a crime they’ve committed, and the right to have criminal cases tried by ecclesiastical courts. (FN: The University in Medieval Life) Thanks to his efforts, after two long years of disbandment, the university was active again. ‘chancellor’: In the Medieval times, a chancellor is the honorary head of a university. (FN: Oxford Dictionaries) It was important for the chancellor to be able to be articulate, to have proper handwriting, and to read since he somewhat represented the university he was responsible of. The chancellor was appointed to a university by a clerical member, such as a bishop or an archbishop and he was given the power to be in charge of the entire institution. He was also the only one to assign licenses to teach and to preach at the university. The professors were considered to be clergy, but they were neither priests nor monks, so they were limited in what they could do. (FN: vlib) Philip the Chancellor (1160-1236) of Notre Dame in Paris enforced those thoughts and he assumed that the entire faculty should obey him and his wishes on how to teach their lectures. (FN: vlib) The chancellor was eventually considered the enemy. This caused lots of tension between him and the masters and is one of the reasons the Great Dispersion took two years to be resolved. The university wanted to be independant and make their own decisions that accustomed their methods and their lessons, but they could not because of the pressure the chancellor was inflicting on them. The masters did not understand how the concept of learning was to expand one’s capability to learn since they were limited in what they could teach. ‘he will not receive as professors of theology and canon law any but suitable men’: As previously stated, the chancellor was in charge of establishing his faculty at the university he was in charge of. He had the authority to make sure that the master's’ lectures were acceptable and followed the morals of the Church. The Church did not want false teaching in the university, thus the chancellor was obligated to search for capable men to teach theology and the canon laws correctly. (FN: vlib) There was a great deal of faulty distribution of the doctrines and laws in the community and the papacy did not like that since they could not control what was being taught. Some of the most educated people were those who worked in monasteries. (FN: historylearningsite) Potential masters were examined to see if they qualified to teach and they had to take a test to see if they could receive a teaching license. It is apparent that Christianity influenced the teachings at the university. Theology, the study of the nature of God , was one of the main and most popular disciplines in many universities in that era. Since it is the Church that helped found it, it would make sense why the lectures emphasized on the importance of this subject. All lessons were taught in Latin and they consisted of the teacher reading a document and explain its purpose and how to comprehend it. (FN: historylearningsite) Subjects such as art and philosophy were a big controversy because some documents would challenge theology. (FN: A History of the University in Europe) In 1210, the Council of Sens either censored some texts or banned lectures because the papacy did not agree with their messages and Gregory IX renewed the ban in 1231. (FN: A History of the University in Europe) ‘we grant to you the right of making constitutions and ordinances’: Once Pope Gregory IX put in place a statute for the University of Paris, most of the conflicts between the state and the university seemed to vanish; most of the masters came back and renewed their positions and the students who had transferred either stayed at their new school or they came back. The Parens Scientiarum served as the charter for the University of Paris. (FN: The University in Medieval Life, p. 79) This statute gave the University of Paris the right to create its own charter, set their own rules, resolve their issues, etc. Now the masters could teach in the method that they wanted, as long as it corresponded with the university’s goals. They were still obligated to respect the chancellor but it was no longer because of the obedience Philip the Chancellor tried to inflict on the faculty. The administration felt powerless and felt that the elite didn’t defend them enough. But with the bull Parens Scientiarum, supported by Pope Gregory IX, the university had acquired the right to organise and to strike whenever they thought they had to support an important cause that would eventually benefit the university. (FN: The First Universities) In a way, the university was independent from the state and the institution developed rapidly. (FN: A History of the University in Europe) ‘concerning the prices of the lodging’: The city of Paris was gaining lots of recognition because of the university. The more attention it gained, the more the economy increased. It attracted young men, age fourteen and up, from all around the world and it was their job once they arrived on campus to search and purchase pay for their lodging. Very few girls attended school either because they were taught at home or they went abroad to study. (FN: historylearningsite) This meant there was a lot more space in the residences. University life was very expensive, but for the privileged scholars, they were usually wealthy enough to finance everything, including school supplies and other resources, and were supported by their family. Eventually, the university began to provide housing for the impoverished students who could not pay the fees. (FN: ADIAWL) Students would share and reside in one house, like a dormitory. Once they finished their studies, they would have to leave the house for the next group of students. (FN: ADIAWL) Lodging was either on campus or it was near the university, which made it easier for the students to attend their classes. The chancellor would decide how much to charge the students once the students found their housing. These payments benefitted the finances of the university. ‘you may suspend your lectures’: For many people, the brawl that took place at a tavern in 1228-29 between the citizens and the students brought shame to the city and that the death of the innocent students caused by the officers of law and order was poorly conducted and aggravated the circumstances. Pope Gregory IX agreed with those people; he thought that the conflict was executed correctly and could have been avoided if the Queen did not impulsively order the guards to attack the students. (FN: The University in Medieval Life) The faculty wanted justice for the innocent lives that were falsely accused and they wanted to be taken seriously by the state; they went on strike with the result that their message would be heard loud and clear. But many people of the court paid no attention to their needs and just ignored them because they wanted to punish the university for their excuses on the matters about the foul actions of the students and for thinking that they could be depend on them. (FN: The University in Medieval Life) Although the Parens Scientiarum ended this combat, it established that the next time a situation like the Great Dispersion reoccurs, the statute was there to give them the right to go on strike. If their needs are not met after fifteen days, the masters can suspend their lectures and go on strike until somebody takes their causes related to the wrongdoings committed on a student seriously. (FN: The uni in Medieval Life) The students would no longer be able to attend their courses. If the strike would take many years to be resolved, the students would have to leave the campus or transfer to another university. The teachers could either find another position at a different school or wait for their cause to be answered. In conclusion, the University of Paris went through many hardships to become the recognized school that it has become throughout history. The Great Dispersion is proof that the university was under the control of the Church and that the faculty had to comply with its wishes, even if many did not agree. The Statutes of Gregory IX supported the University of Paris by giving it the right to create its own charter; the university no longer had to depend on the state to proceed with disciplinary actions. With his help, the state and the university could come to an understanding and they could resolve their everlasting conflict. The University of Paris flourished once again and its activities continued, attracting even more students from many different regions.