Complutense University of Madrid - Early History

Early History

On May 20th 1293, King Sancho IV of Castile granted the Archbishop of Toledo, Gonzalo Garcia Gudiel, a Royal Charter to found a Studium Generale (as Universities were known at that time) in Alcala de Henares. One of its alumni, Cardinal Cisneros, made extensive purchases of land and ordered the construction of many buildings, in what became the first university campus ex-novo in history: The Civitas Dei, or city of God, named after the work of Agustine of Hippo. On April 13th 1499, Cardinal Cisneros secured from Pope Alexander VI a Papal Bull to expand Complutense into a full university. This Papal Bull conferred official recognition throughout Christendom to all degrees granted by the University. It also renamed the institution Universitas Complutensis, after Complutum, which was the Latin name of Alcalá de Henares, where the University was originally located.

In the 1509–1510 school year, the Complutense University already operated with five major schools: Arts and Philosophy, Theology, Canon Law, Philology and Medicine. On January 22nd 1510 Cisneros approved the Constitutions of the University, which laid our the rules governing the institution, spelling the rights and duties of every member of the community.

Cisneros attracted many of the world's foremost linguists and biblical scholars to Alcalá to produce the magnum opus of the University, the Biblia Políglota Complutense or Complutensian Polyglot Bible, printed in five massive volumes (including a popular glossary volume) complete in 1514, but delayed publication by Papal order until 1520. The edition was one of the great works of philology of the Renaissance, comprising critical editions of all of the books of the Bible in their original Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic, as well as the authorized Latin Vulgate text. Cisneros borrowed or acquired most of the known Biblical manuscripts of his day for the project. One of the greatest academic works of the Renaissance, it was the result of 15 years of interdisciplinary research. For instance, the Greek typefaces devised for this 6 volume tractatus constituted the template for the Greek fonts used nowadays (Otter Greek, GFS Complutensian Greek). Owing to unfortunate mishaps, most copies of the edition have not survived, but this singular achievement launched the Complutense into the company of the greatest universities of the world. This publication predates Erasmus’ Textus Receptus (1516), which later became the basis for Oxford University’s King James version (1611).

The University flourished in the 16th century, especially under the early benefaction of Cisneros who, as Archbishop of Toledo, was able to endow it richly. Cisneros' great vision was to create the first modern University, encouraging its active participation in society and the affairs of the Spanish Empire, the greatest political and military power of that Era. Until then, most centers of erudite knowledge were reclusive and disconnected from the world, such as monasteries and convents.

After the death of Cisneros, beginning in the second quarter of the XVI century, multiple colleges were founded by religious orders, military orders, the King and wealthy families, reaching a number of 30. During the XVI and XVII centuries, Complutense University became one the greatest centers of Academic excellence in the world. Many of the leading figures in science, arts and politics of that Age studied or taught in Complutense's classrooms. Special colleges were created for students of foreign origin, such as Flemish or Irish.

In the XVIII century, Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos gave new impulse to the University, adding additional studies in Science. In 1785, Complutense became one of the first Universities in the world to grant a Doctorate to a female student, María Isidra de Guzmán y de la Cerda. In comparison, University of Oxford did not accept female scholars until the year 1920, and the University of Cambridge did not grant a Ph.D. to a female student until the year 1926.

In 1824, Francisco Tadeo Calomarde further expanded Complutense by merging it with the University of Siguenza.