 Oxford is a unique and historic institution.
As the oldest English-speaking
university
in the world, it lays
claim to eight centuries
of continuous existence.
There is no clear
date of foundation,
but teaching existed
at Oxford in some form
in 1096 and developed
rapidly from 1167,
when Henry II banned English
students from attending
the University of
Paris.
In 1188, the historian, Gerald of Wales,
gave a public reading to the assembled Oxford
dons and in 1190 the arrival of Emo of Friesland,
the first known overseas student, initiated
the University's tradition of international
scholarship. By 1201, the University was
headed by a magister scolarum Oxonie, on
whom the title of Chancellor was conferred
in 1214, and in 1231 the masters were recognized
as a uniuersitas or corporation.
In the 13th century, rioting between town
and gown (students and townspeople) hastened
the establishment of primitive halls of residence.
These were succeeded by the first of Oxford's
colleges or endowed houses whose architectural
splendour, together with the University's
libraries and museums, give the city its
unique character. University, Balliol and
Merton Colleges, established between 1249
and 1264, were the oldest.
Less than a century later, Oxford had achieved
eminence above every other seat of learning,
and won the praises of popes, kings and sages
by virtue of its antiquity, curriculum, doctrine
and privileges. In 1355, Edward III paid
tribute to the University for its invaluable
contribution to learning; he also commented
on the services rendered to the state by
distinguished Oxford graduates.
Oxford early on became a centre for lively
controversy, with scholars involved in religious
and political disputes. John Wyclif, a 14th-century
Master of Balliol, campaigned for a bible
in the vernacular, against the wishes of
the papacy. In 1530, Henry VIII forced the
University to accept his divorce from Catherine
of Aragon. During the Reformation in the
16th century, the Anglican churchmen Cranmer,
Latimer and Ridley were tried for heresy
and burnt at the stake in Oxford. The University
was Royalist in the Civil War, and Charles
I held a counter-Parliament in Convocation
House.
In the late 17th century, the Oxford philosopher
John Locke, suspected of treason, was forced
to flee the country. The 18th century, when
Oxford was said to have forsaken port for
politics, was also an era of scientific discovery
and religious revival. Edmund Halley, Professor
of Geometry, predicted the return of the
comet that bears his name; John and Charles
Wesley's prayer meetings laid the foundations
of the Methodist Society.
The University assumed a leading role in
the Victorian era, especially in religious
controversy. From 1811 onwards The Oxford
Movement sought to revitalise the Catholic
aspects of the Anglican Church. One of its
leaders, John Henry Newman, became a Roman
Catholic in 1845 and was later made a Cardinal.
In 1860 the new University Museum was the
site of a famous debate between Thomas Huxley,
the champion of evolution, and Bishop Wilberforce.
From 1878, academic halls were established
for women, who became members of the University
in 1920. Since 1974, all but one of Oxford's
39 colleges have changed their statutes to
admit both men and women. St Hilda's remains
the only women's college. 
In the years since the war, Oxford has added
to its humanistic core a major new research
capacity in the natural and applied sciences,
including medicine. In so doing, it has enhanced
and strengthened its traditional role as
a focus for learning and a forum for intellectual
debate.
Pictures:
top: Map of Oxford dated 1644
bottom: The University Church in 1726
(http://www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/history.shtml) |
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