PADUA, UNIVERSITY OF. One of the oldest and most famous of European universities. It had its inception in the emigration from the University of Bologna in 1222 of a large num ber of students owing to difficulties with the town authorities. The School of Martini's for the study of jurisprudence at Padua, however, is mentioned as early as 1100. The restless students found Padua as unaccommodating as Bologna. and in 122S entered into a contract to emigrate to Vercelli, that commune promising 500 houses for the accommodation of students and other privileges. This contract was only carried out in part, and the university at Padua was not wiped out entirely. At first jurispru dence constituted the principal study, but soon the liberal arts came into vogue. During the tyrannical reign of Ezzelino (IV.) da Romano (1237-59) the university lost its prestige and was almost ruined, lint with his death the town endeavored to improve its condition. In 1260 a code of statutes, modelled after those of Bo logna, was drawn up, two universities, the tramontani and the Citramontani, were estab lished. and the grammatical, rhetorical, and medical studies instituted. In 1263 Pope Ur ban IV. speaks of the `Universitas Magistrortun et Scolarium Padue' as a recognized institution, and in 1264 confirmed the power of the Bishop to confer the licentiate degree. The fame of the university soon rivaled that of Bologna. In 1282 the Paduans attempted to force new statutes. prepared by them, on the univer sity. This was vigorously resisted by the university and Pope Nicolas IV. An attempt was even made to transfer the university to some other place, but the difficulty was set tled in 1290. In 1363 Pope Urban V. in stituted theology as a stadium generate. In the same year the first college was founded, the number increasing gradually henceforth. After
1390 the university received many foundations for poor scholars. and in 1390 Francesco Carrara presented it with its first building. In the fif teenth century it far outranked Bologna in re nown. Humanism obtained a strong foothold here, and besides the professional studies. mathe matics, modern languages, fine arts, and knightly exercises were eagerly pursued. At Padua were established the first botanical garden and anatomical theatre. The university became a fa vorite place with the Germans, there being. in 1564, 200 of them under the faculty of law. Dur ing the seventeenth century the fame of the insti tution gradually declined. In 1613 the complaint was made that there were only 1400 students. Still there were about 100 annual promotions in jurisprudence. At that period the university was famous for the licentiousness of the students, which hastened the decay of the once flourishing institution. In the beginning of the eighteenth cen turyAugustin Leyser laments its total ruin. Under the Austrian rillgime, and later under the Italian government. strenuous efforts were made to re establish the former fame of the university, and its regeneration has proceeded gradually. During the troublous period of 1848.50 the university was closed. In 1902 the University of Padua consisted of the following schools and faculties: (1) law, (2) medical-surgical, (3) mathematical natural science. (4) philosophy, (5) engineering. (6) pharmacy. The attendance was over 1400. The library contained 136,000 volumes, 64,900 pamphlets, and 2326 manuscripts. The univer sity also includes a number of clinics, an ob servatory, a botanical garden, and a number of museums. For bibliography, see UNIVERSITY.