University of Constantinople
Byzantine Empire · Other
About
The Imperial University of Constantinople, sometimes known as the University of the Palace Hall of Magnaura (Greek: Πανδιδακτήριον τῆς Μαγναύρας), was an Eastern Roman educational institution in Constantinople that could trace its origin to 425 AD, when the emperor Theodosius II founded the Pandidakterion (or Pandidacterium) (Medieval Greek: Πανδιδακτήριον).
The Pandidakterion was restructured in 1045 or 1046 by Constantine IX Monomachos who created the Departments of Law (Διδασκαλεῖον τῶν Νόμων) and Philosophy (Γυμνάσιον). The restructuring made it into a "true" university; as such, it is sometimes considered the first university in history.
After a period of almost non-existent advanced learning during the Latin occupation of Constantinople (1204–1261), the Palaiologan Renaissance was kickstarted and various economic schools, colleges, polytechnics, libraries and fine arts academies began operating in the city. All of these, including the University of Constantinople, were shut down after the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.