Scholars leaving Oxford and moving to Cambridge

[littlebus]

Setting: England, circa 1209

Where I've looked: "history of Oxford" "history of Cambridge" "founding Cambridge University" "scholars leaving Oxford" etc.

1. Both Wiki and the history pages of the two colleges hint at some sort of violence between students and townsfolk, circa 1209, that made the scholars and students leave Oxford and head to nearby

Comments

[bopeepsheep]

This is what we were taught in Oxfordshire schools, and also what Cambridge University claims as its origin. The two clerks were hanged by the townsfolk, the university appealed to the king who sided with the town, and the scholars left for five years. It wasn't as violent a dispute as St Scholastica's a century later (which is the main source of Town vs Gown strife) but certainly was significant in Oxford history, as well as Cambridge's.

[penhaligonblue]

Keep in mind that at this time, Oxford was a monastic institution as well as a scholastic one, so protocol for religious orders (re: titles and such) might have held for the university, as well.

[tweedisgood]

Cambridge really isn't "nearby" to Oxford in British terms, and certainly not in the 13th century. Over 80 miles today on modern roads - a few days' journey at least then. They were in different ecclesiastical dioceses as well.

According to my official 800th anniversary book, the home towns or places of service of some of the Oxford Scholars concerned in the move were in Ely, Cambridge or environs. Also apparently there were particularly favourable political and organisational circumstances which made it a good place to try and found an independent and self-governing scholars' community, especially the support of King Henry II.