University of Naples Federico II

A king named Frederick II started a big school.

He lived a long time ago.

He wanted to train smart people. They would help him lead his land. He also wanted young people to learn at home.

This school is very old. It is one of the oldest in the world.

Many students go to this school today. Some even won big awards for movies. It is a very busy place.

Learning is a grand adventure for everyone.

A king named Frederick II started a big school.

He lived a long time ago. He founded the school in Naples, Italy. He did this on June 5, 1224. This school is the University of Naples Federico II. It is the oldest state school in the world.

Frederick II had a plan. He wanted to train smart workers for his kingdom. These people would be lawyers and judges. He also wanted students to learn close to home. He did not want them to travel far away. In the early years, the school had strict rules. Students and teachers were not allowed to leave the walls.

A famous student named Thomas Aquinas studied there. The school has seen many changes over many years. It has moved to different buildings. In 1616, it moved to a place called Palazzo dei Regi Studi.

Today, the school is very large. It has over 90,000 students. Some students even won two Academy Awards for movies. It is a very important place for learning.

The University of Naples Federico II is a very special place for learning. It is located in Naples, Italy. This school is the oldest state-funded university in the whole world. It is also one of the ten oldest universities that has stayed open without stopping.

The university is very large today. In 2022, it had more than 90,000 students. This makes it one of the biggest universities in Europe. It helps many people study different subjects to prepare for their lives.

Many years ago, a king had a big plan for this school. Frederick II was the King of Sicily and the Holy Roman Emperor. He founded the university on June 5, 1224. He wanted to train smart people to work for his government. These workers included lawyers and judges to help make laws. He also wanted students to study at home. This meant they did not have to travel to far places like Bologna. The king even paid the teachers so the students could learn.

Life at the university has changed a lot over a thousand years. In the beginning, the school had very strict rules. Students and teachers were actually not allowed to leave the school walls.

The school moved to different buildings many times. In 1253, the schools even moved to a place called Salerno for a short time. They moved back to Naples in 1258. Later, in 1616, the university moved to the Palazzo dei Regi Studi. This building was once a place for soldiers to live.

Many important people have been part of this school's history. A very famous student was Thomas Aquinas. He was a well-known thinker and philosopher.

The university has also helped many leaders of Italy. Three presidents of the Italian Republic studied here. Some students and former students even won two Academy Awards for their work. In more recent years, the school has worked with big companies. It hosted an Apple academy in 2016 and a Cisco lab in 2018.

Learning at this university connects the past to the modern world. It started as a way to build a strong kingdom. Now, it is a huge center for research and new ideas.

The university has created new ways of studying things like astronomy and mechanics. In 1754, it even started the first chair in the world for political economy. This shows how much the school has grown. It continues to be a very important place for students in Italy and across the globe.

The University of Naples Federico II is a massive public research institution located in Naples, Italy. It holds a unique place in history as the oldest state-funded, non-denominational university in the world. It is also one of the ten oldest universities that has remained in continuous operation.

Today, it is a major center for higher learning. In 2022, the university served over 90,000 students. This makes it one of the largest universities in Europe. Its motto is "Ad scientiarum haustum et seminarium doctrinarum," which comes from a letter by its founder.

To understand how this university works, we must look at its original political design. Emperor Frederick II founded the institution on June 5, 1224. He had two main goals for this project. First, he wanted to train a skilled bureaucracy. This meant preparing lawyers, judges, and administrative staff to run his kingdom's ministries. Second, he wanted to keep scholars in his own territory. By creating a state university, he prevented students from traveling to the University of Bologna. At that time, Bologna was often hostile to the Emperor's power.

The university functioned differently than the private schools of its time. It was a chartered institution built from the ground up by a high authority. Frederick II even paid the teachers' salaries. This was a major change because students usually paid their own instructors. The Emperor also provided support for deserving students through accommodations and honor loans. To ensure success, he even forbade his citizens from attending foreign universities. He used threats of fines or physical punishment to keep students in Naples.

History shows that the university faced many difficult stages and shifts in location. In its early years, it was a closed institution with very strict rules. Students and professors were actually forbidden from leaving the university walls. The school struggled to compete with the medical school in Salerno and theology schools in Rome. In 1253, the university even moved all its remaining schools to Salerno. This experiment failed, and the university moved back to Naples in 1258. Later, under the rule of Charles I of Anjou, the university saw more stability. He established six specific academic chairs: Medicine, Canon Law, Civil Law, Theology, Grammar, and Logic.

Over the centuries, the university's headquarters changed many times. In 1616, it moved to the Palazzo dei Regi Studi. This building had previously served as a cavalry barracks.

During the 17th century, the institution went through a period of decline. Private schools and religious colleges began to take its place. However, the 18th century brought a new era of growth under the Habsburg and Bourbon rulers. The university became a center for the Enlightenment, a movement focused on reason and science. During this time, it moved to the House of the Savior after the Jesuits were expelled.

The university has produced many notable figures and academic milestones. A famous early student was the theologian and philosopher Thomas Aquinas. The institution has also educated three presidents of the Italian Republic: Enrico De Nicola, Giovanni Leone, and Giorgio Napolitano. Beyond politics, its alumni have won two Academy Awards. In terms of scientific progress, the university was a pioneer. In 1735, it created a chair for Astronomy. In 1754, it established the world's first chair of mechanics and commerce, also known as political economy.

Today, the University of Naples Federico II connects ancient traditions with modern technology. It remains a vital part of the Italian university system. It holds the second position among major Italian universities with over 40,000 students. In recent years, it has embraced digital transformation. In 2016, it hosted the first Apple iOS Developer Academy. In 2018, it hosted the Cisco Digital Transformation Lab. This shows how a school founded in the 13th century can still lead in the modern world.