University of Salamanca
| Universidad de Salamanca | |
Seal of the University of Salamanca
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| Latin: Universitas Studii Salamanticensis | |
| Motto | Quod natura non dat, Salmantica non praestat (Latin) |
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Motto in English
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What nature doesn't give, Salamanca doesn't provide |
| Type | Public |
| Established | Unknown; teaching existed since at least 1130. It was chartered by the pope Alexander IV in 1255. |
| Rector | Daniel Hernández Ruipérez |
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Academic staff
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2,453 |
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Administrative staff
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1,252 |
| Students | ca. 28,000 |
| 2,240 | |
| Location | Salamanca, Spain |
| Campus | Urban |
| Affiliations | EUA, Coimbra Group |
| Website | www.usal.es |
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The University of Salamanca (Spanish: Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1134 and given the Royal charter of foundation by King Alfonso IX in 1218. It is the oldest founded university in Spain and the third oldest university in the world in continuous operations. The formal title of "University" was granted by King Alfonso X in 1254 and recognized by Pope Alexander IV in 1255.
Its origin, like all older universities, was a Cathedral School, whose existence can be traced back to 1130. The university was founded in 1134 and recognized as a "General School of the Kingdom" by the Leonese King Alfonso IX in 1218. Granted Royal Chart by King Alfonso X, dated 8 May 1254, as the University of Salamanca this established the rules for organization and financial endowment.
On the basis of a papal bull by Alexander IV in 1255, which confirmed the Royal Charter of Alfonso X, the school obtained the title of University.
The historical phrases Quod natura non dat, Salmantica non praestat (what nature does not give, Salamanca does not lend, in Latin) and Multos et doctissimos Salmantica habet (many and very versed Salamanca has) give an idea of the prestige the institution rapidly acquired.
In the reign of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, the Spanish government was revamped. Contemporary with the Spanish Inquisition, the expulsion of the Jews and Muslims, and the conquest of Granada, there was a certain professionalization of the apparatus of the state. This involved the massive employment of "letrados", i.e., bureaucrats and lawyers, who were "licenciados" (university graduates), particularly, of Salamanca, and the newly founded University of Alcalá. These men staffed the various councils of state, including, eventually, the Consejo de Indias and Casa de Contratacion, the two highest bodies in metropolitan Spain for the government of the Spanish Empire in the New World.
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Wikipedia