05/20/1293 AD founded

King Sancho IV of Castile granted the Archbishop of Toledo, Gonzalo Pérez Gudiel, a Royal Charter to found a studium generale (as universities were known at that time), named El Estudio de Escuelas Generales in Alcalá de Henares.

One of its alumni, Cardinal Cisneros, made extensive purchases of land and ordered the construction of many buildings, in what became the first university campus ex-novo in history: The Civitas Dei, or city of God, named after the work of Augustine of Hippo. On 13 April 1499, Cardinal Cisneros secured from Pope Alexander VI a Papal bull to expand Complutense into a full university. This Papal Bull conferred official recognition throughout Christendom to all degrees granted by the University. It also renamed the institution Universitas Complutensis, after Complutum, which was the Latin name of Alcalá de Henares, where the University was originally located.

In the 1509–1510 school year, the Complutense University already operated with five major schools: Arts and Philosophy, Theology, Canon Law, Philology and Medicine.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Complutense University became one of the greatest centers of academic excellence in the world. Many of the leading figures in science, arts and politics of that age studied or taught in Complutense's classrooms. Special colleges were created for students of foreign origin, such as Flemish or Irish.

In 1785, Complutense became one of the first universities in the world to grant a doctorate to a female student, María Isidra de Guzmán y de la Cerda.[11] In comparison, University of Oxford did not accept female scholars until 1920, and the University of Cambridge did not grant a PhD to a female student until 1926.

In 1824, Francisco Tadeo Calomarde further expanded Complutense by merging it with the University of Sigüenza.[14] By a royal order of 29 October 1836, Queen Regent Maria Christina suppressed the university in Alcalá and ordered its move to Madrid, where it took the name of Literary University and, in 1851, of Central University of Madrid (Spanish: Universidad Central de Madrid). The University would be known under this name until its original name of "Complutense" was restored in the 1970s.

Alcalá de Henares

Lattitude: 40.4666° N
Longitude: 3.3666° W
Region: Europe

Modern Day Spain

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