MEDIEVAL SCHOLASTIC GUILDS MEMBERS (on the issue of relations with urban and university environment)

Medieval universities were the centre of intellectual thought of their era. They had left a deep mark on the cultural life of national states. Most universities emerged either near a town or within its walls. This forced the town and the university to build their own system of relations; while the ‘scholastic guild’ imposed certain requirements on the students, in particular on their appearance, behaviour and form of study. The paper showed that what acted as a kind of ideal for the university, was the monastic dormitory, the modesty of students, the pursuit of knowledge. Thus, clothing was to reflect the status of a student, belonging to a certain faculty or being a compatriot. Stiletto shoes, cold weapons, ostentatious wealth – all these things were forbidden to wear or to possess. The form of study and the programme of classes were also regulated by the university administration. A special relationship was formed with the surrounding urban environment in the ‘guild’ members. It was important to control new inhabitants in the town, the timeliness of students’ payment of their hired accommodation; many of the above responsibilities were assigned to the masters. In most conflicts between the parties, the royal authority would accept the position of the universities. As a result, in Cambridge in particular, the model of ‘Cambridge – a city within a university’ formed.