Charles University

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.