In marked resemblance to the guilds, these con federations were presided over by a common head, the "rector scholarium," an obvious imitation of the "rector societatum" or "artium" of the guild, but to be carefully distinguished from the "rector scholarum," or director of the studies, with whose function the former officer had, at this time, nothing in common. Like the gilds, again, the different nations were represented by their "con siliarii," a deliberative assembly with whom the rector habitually took counsel. The students at Bologna were mostly of mature years. As the civil law and the canon law were, at first, the only branches of study, the class whom they attracted were often men already filling office in some department of the Church or State— archdeacons, the head's of schools, canons of cathedrals, and like functionaries forming a considerable element in the aggregate.
About the year 1200 were formed the two faculties of medicine and philosophy (or "the seven liberal arts"), the former being somewhat the earlier. It was developed, as that of the civil law had been developed, by a succession of able teachers, among whom Thaddeus Alderottus was especially eminent. The faculty of arts, down to the 14th century, scarcely attained to equal eminence. The teaching of theology at Bologna remained for a long time exclusively in the hands of the Dominicans; and it was not until the year 136o that Innocent VI. recognized the university as a stadium generale in this branch.
Colleges, as places of residence for students, existed at Bologna at a very early date, but it is not until the 14th century that we find them possessing any organization; and the humble domes, as it was termed, was at first designed solely for necessitous students, not being natives of Bologna. A separate house, with a certain fund for the maintenance of a specified number of schol ars, was all that was originally contemplated. Such was the char acter of that founded by Zoen, bishop of Avignon, in Feb. 1256 (0.5.), the same month and year, it is to be noted, in which the Sorbonne was founded in Paris. It was designed for the mainte nance of eight scholars from the province of Avignon, under the supervision of three canons of the Church, maintaining themselves in the university. Each scholar was to receive 24 Bolognese lire
annually for five years. The college of Brescia was founded in 1326 by William of Brescia, archdeacon of Bologna, for poor foreign students, without distinction as to nationality. The Spanish college, founded in 1364, for 24 Spanish scholars and two chap lains, is noted by Denifle as the one college, founded in mediaeval times, which still exists on the Continent.
The earliest foundations in Italy after that of Bologna were the universities of Reggio nell' Emilia and Modena, both of which had flourishing schools of civil law before the close of the 12th century. Vicenza (founded 1204) and Padua (founded 1222) both originated in migrations of students from Bologna. The University of Naples was founded by the Emperor Frederick II. in 1225 and was temporarily suppressed after his death. It was reconstituted in 1258. Piacenza, founded by papal charter in 1248, had little importance until 1398 when it was reconstituted by Galeazzo Visconti, duke of Milan, who caused the University of Pavia to be transferred to Piacenza. Pavia had long been famous as a school of Roman law, and for a time its fame was transferred to Piacenza. From 1404 to 1412 both universities ceased to exist. But after that date Pavia became almost as famous a school of civil law as Padua itself. Arezzo was a centre for legal study from 1215 to 1470. Rome had a uni versity with schools of canon and civil law for poor foreign students in the 14th and 15th centuries. Perugia University (founded 1308) specialised in law, and Pisa (founded by charter from Clement VI. in 1343) had a period of prosperity under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici. The University of Florence (founded by the same pontiff in
had a brilliant existence in the first half of the 15th century, but was closed in 1472. Siena, whose importance dates from 1357, though it was nominally founded in 1241, had faculties of jurisprudence, arts and medi cine. The University of Ferrara was famous in the 15th century. Parma and Turin had no universities in the middle ages. Their foundation dates from the 15th century.