Biography of Pope Nicholas V

Pope Nicholas V (1397-1455) was one of the founders of the University of Glasgow.

Tommaso Parentucelli (1397-1455) was elected Pope in 1447 and took the name Nicholas in memory of his obligations to Niccolò Albergati, the Bishop of Bologna. A patron of literature and the arts, Nicholas V attracted leading artists to work in Rome and he is sometimes referred to as the first Renaissance Pope. His personal book collection became the foundation of the Vatican Library.

In 1451 Bishop William Turnbull (c1400-1454), Bishop of Glasgow, requested that Nicholas establish a new university in the city. The Pope issued a letter of proclamation known as a Papal Bull, which erected a new "studium generale" for the teaching of "theology, canon and civil law, as well as the arts and any other lawful faculty". He granted the new University’s doctors, masters, readers and students all the privileges, honours and immunities enjoyed by their counterparts at the University of Bologna.

University Connections

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Images

Pope Nicholas V Medallion

'On this day' entries

• Proclamation (June 20 1451)

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