The University of Bologna
The University of Bologna was begun by Giosuè Carducci and a group of historians in 1088. In 1158 Federico I wrote the Constitutio Habita which legally made the University a "...place where research could develop independently from any other power". Subsequently in the 14th Century, self-proclaimed "artists" who were schlars ranging from Astronomy and Medicine to Rhetoric and Philosophy collaborated with the school of jurists. Famous scholars such as Dante Alighieri and Cino da Pistoria studied at this revered institution. In the 15th century other subjects such as Greek and Hebrew studies, "natural magic" and Theology were added. An important figure of this time was Ulisse Aldrovandi who contributed a great deal to the study of natural sciences and animals. The 16th and 17th centuries began the golden age of Medicine in Bologna with the collaboration of plastic surgery pioneer Gaspare Tagliacozzi and Manotomical researcher Marcello Malpighi.
The University's fame had spread throughout Europe and it was a destination for many illustrious guests. Famous scholars and students included Pico della Mirandola and Leon Battista Alberti, who devoted themselves to canonical law. Nicolò Copernico began his astronomical observations while studying pontifical law. Paracelso, Raimundo de Pegñafort, Albrecht Dürer, St. Carlo Borromeo, Torquato Tasso and Carlo Goldoni all spent time at the University.
With the Industrial Revolution in the 18th Century, the University promoted scientific and technological development. In this period came the studies of Luigi Galvani who, along with Alessandro Volta, Benjamin Franklin and Henry Cavendish, was one of the founders of modern electrotechnical studies. Following the establishment of the United Italian State came a period of great prosperity in which the figures of Giovanni Capellini, Giosuè Carducci, Giovanni Pascoli, Augusto Righi, Federigo Enriques, Giacomo Ciamician, and Augusto Murri stand out.
In 1888 the eighth centennial of the University was celebrated, with a grand ceremony where all the universities of the world convened in Bologna to honour the mother of universities, representing their common roots and ideals of progress and tolerance. The ceremony became an international festival of studies.
The University maintained its central position on the scene of global culture until the period between the two wars, when other countries came to the forefront in teaching and research. Bologna has thus been called upon to forge relationships with institutions in the most advanced countries to modernise and expand its activity. Among the many challenges which it has met with success, Bologna committed itself to the European dimension which has now led to adoption of the new university system.
