Rectors of the fourteenth century University of Paris: An institutional and prosopographical study

The rector was the chief executive officer of the late medieval University of Paris. However, while the University of Paris has been the subject of numerous institutional histories, the rectorship has not been studied in detail. The present work investigates the evolution of the rectorship at Paris, and discusses the duties, influence, and limitations of the office in the 14th century. In addition to taking an institutional approach to the office, I have sought to broaden perspective on the rectorship through a prosopographical study of 14th century officeholders. A biographical register identifying approximately 50% of rectors for the period was developed from a variety of university documents, papal records, and biographical dictionaries. This sample is sufficiently large to suggest several trends both about the nature of the office and about the masters elected to it. Officeholding was not evenly divided among the four nations of the University, but rather was dominated by members of the French nation. This finding supports recent reassessments of the geographical composition of the Parisian university community. Rectors were usually elected from a small group of teaching masters who held longer than normal regencies in arts, and most held additional university offices both before and after their terms. Serving as rector was thus part of a pattern of officeholding which was probably typical of long-term regent masters. Well over half of identified rectors are known to have studied in a higher faculty, often while holding office. Theology was the higher faculty of choice, attracting nearly twice as many rectors as the other higher faculties combined, despite the greater financial potential of a career in law or medicine. This preference reflects the prestige of the Parisian theological faculty, and may also reflect the academic preferences of the probably typical of long-term regent masters. Well over half of identified rectors are known to have studied in a higher faculty, often while holding office. Theology was the higher faculty of choice, attracting nearly twice as many rectors as the other higher faculties combined, despite the greater financial potential of a career in law or medicine. This preference reflects the prestige of the Parisian theological faculty, and may also reflect the academic preferences of the teaching elite from which rectors were typically drawn. Finally, nearly three-quarters of identified rectors achieved at least moderate post-university career success, i.e. a minimum provision to an ecclesiastical benefice and/or a substantive secular post. Determining the impact of the rectorship in contributing to that success will become clearer as additional prosopographical data on Parisian arts masters is made available.