Charles University

A big school is in Prague.

It is very old. A king named Charles IV helped start it.

He wanted people to learn there.

Long ago, the school had groups called nations. These groups were for people from different lands.

One group was for people from Bohemia.

Other groups were for people from far away.

Later, the school was split into two parts. One part was for Czech people. The other part was for German people.

Now, the school is very large. It is a great place to study.

Charles University is a very large school in the Czech Republic.

It is one of the oldest schools in the world. A king named Charles IV helped start it in 1348.

He asked the Pope to help make the school.

Long ago, the school was split into groups called nations. These groups were for students from different lands. One group was for people from Bohemia. Other groups were for people from places like Poland and Saxony.

Later, the school had many changes. In 1654, two parts of the school joined together. They made one big school called Charles-Ferdinand University. For a long time, many classes were taught in the Latin language. Later, people began to teach in German. Eventually, they also taught in Czech.

In 1882, the school split into two separate parts. One part was for German speakers. The other part was for Czech speakers. Today, the university has 17 faculties. It has many buildings in cities like Prague and Plzeň.

Charles University is a very large school in the Czech Republic.

It is one of the oldest schools in the world that is still running today. It is the third oldest university north of the Alps. This means it is older than many famous schools in England. Today, the university has 17 different faculties. These schools are located in Prague, Hradec Králové, and Plzeň.

In the middle ages, the school was organized into groups called nations. These nations were based on where students came from. The Bohemian nation included people from Bohemia, Moravia, southern Slavs, and Hungary. The Bavarian nation included people from Austria and the Rhine provinces. The Polish nation included Silesians and Poles. Finally, the Saxon nation included people from Denmark and Sweden.

Students from the Czech lands made up about 16 to 20 percent of the total students.

A powerful leader helped create this school. His name was Charles IV. He was the King of Bohemia and later became the Holy Roman Emperor.

He asked his friend, Pope Clement VI, to help start the university. The Pope issued a document in 1347 to make it happen. This new school was modeled after the University of Paris. Charles IV also gave the school special rights and protections in 1348.

The university has faced many hard times and big changes. In 1409, a disagreement caused many foreign students and teachers to leave. This event helped start the University of Leipzig in May 1409. Later, the school was joined with another group called the Clementinum. In 1654, Emperor Ferdinand III merged them into one school. This new school was called Charles-Ferdinand University.

For a long time, classes were taught in Latin. Later, the school began using German and then Czech.

By the late 1800s, the school changed again. People spoke different languages and wanted their own schools. In 1882, the school split into two separate parts. One was the German Charles-Ferdinand University. The other was the Czech Charles-Ferdinand University.

Even though they were separate, they still shared some things. They shared the same library, botanical garden, and science institutes. They also shared the same old school symbols.

Charles University, located in the Czech Republic, is a major center of higher learning. It is the largest university in the country today. It is also one of the oldest universities in continuous operation globally. Specifically, it is the third oldest university north of the Alps. Currently, the institution consists of 17 different faculties. These are spread across three cities: Prague, Hradec Králové, and Plzeň.

The university's origins trace back to the 14th century. Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV was the primary driving force behind its creation. Charles IV held several titles, including King of Bohemia and King of the Romans. He requested that his ally, Pope Clement VI, establish the school. In January 1347, the Pope issued a bull to create the university. This new institution was modeled after the University of Paris. It included all four traditional faculties, including theology.

In the medieval period, the university used a unique organizational structure. It was divided into four distinct groups called nations. The Bohemian nation included Bohemians, Moravians, southern Slavs, and Hungarians. The Bavarian nation consisted of Austrians, Swabians, and people from the Rhine provinces. The Polish nation included Silesians, Poles, and Ruthenians. The Saxon nation included people from Thuringia, Saxony, Denmark, and Sweden.

Interestingly, ethnically Czech students made up only 16% to 20% of the student body. Lectures were held in colleges, such as the Carolinum, which was established in 1366.

Political and religious conflicts often changed the university's direction. In 1409, a major shift occurred due to the Western Schism. The Bohemian nation supported King Wenceslaus and the Council of Pisa. Other nations supported Pope Gregory XII. To help the Bohemians, the King issued the Decree of Kutná Hora. This decree gave the Bohemian masters three votes, while the other nations shared only one. This political coup caused many foreign professors and students to leave. This mass emigration led to the founding of the University of Leipzig in May 1409. The university lost between 5,000 and 20,000 people during this time.

The university underwent further transformation during the era of the Jesuits. In 1562, the Jesuits opened an academy called the Clementinum. By 1616, this academy became a university that could award degrees. Following the early stages of the Thirty Years' War, the Jesuits gained immense power. An imperial decree in 1622 gave them control over the entire school system in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia. However, Emperor Ferdinand III later limited their monopoly in 1638. He returned the rights and properties of the Carolinum to the university. In 1654, the Emperor merged the Carolinum and the Clementinum. This created a single institution known as Charles-Ferdinand University.

Language and culture played central roles in the university's later history. For centuries, Latin was the primary language of instruction. This changed in 1784 when German replaced Latin. Later, the university began to acknowledge the Czech language. In 1791, Emperor Leopold II established a chair for Czech language and literature. By the mid-19th century, Prague was no longer a German-majority city. In 1863, 22 lecture courses were held in Czech, while 187 were in German. This linguistic tension eventually led to a formal institutional split.

In 1882, the university was officially divided into two independent entities. One was the German Charles-Ferdinand University, and the other was the Czech Charles-Ferdinand University. Emperor Franz Joseph sanctioned this division. While they were separate, they still shared several important facilities. They shared the medical and scientific institutes, the library, and the botanical garden. They also shared the university's old insignia and the aula. By the 1909–10 winter semester, the two universities had different student populations. The German university had 1,778 students, while the Czech university had 4,319 students. This division reflects the complex social and political history of the region.