2. Royal College

The Collegium Regium was not the only student residence hall in Copenhagen, but it was by far the biggest and known for providing good service to the tenants. However, early  modern student life in Copenhagen was no bed of roses. By and large, 17th-century students lived in poverty and with little prospect of anything other than employment as a parish clerk in a distant province after graduation.

In 1475 the Pope gave permission for a university to be established in Copenhagen, and on 1 June 1479, the University was inaugurated. After the Reformation in 1536, the University became necessary as the institution to educate Lutheran clergy in the country. During the 17th century, the University gained importance as a scientific center, led by scientists such as anatomists Thomas Bartholin and Niels Stensen, and astronomer Ole Rømer. For most students in the 17th century, however, this part of the University’s work was not part of everyday life. At the time, many complaints were heard about the students’ poor academic skills, which is why an entrance examination was introduced in 1623, consisting of a written Latin test. In 1675 the examination was extended to the so-called Filosofikum, i.e. sufficient knowledge of the subjects of the Faculty of Philosophy, including Latin, philosophy, mathematics and astronomy.

Discipline was nothing to write home about, and there are countless accounts of disorderly, gambling, and drunken students wandering the city and the taverns instead of attending to their studies. The University even had its own dungeon, where unruly students could be put if they behaved badly. The students were said to have a fondness for strong German beer. The problem was particularly evident when students turned up for lectures or communal meals intoxicated. For example, one student was punished for turning up “and saying several rude things to the others in crude barbaric language” and “using the Holy Scriptures in an unworthy manner”. Even worse was when drunkenness led to violent incidents among the students or street fights with other urban groups. Duels were frequent, and there are several examples of major clashes between students and the servants of noblemen – even resulting in deaths.

The frequent occurrence of armed alumni stemmed from the students’ participation in the armed defense of Copenhagen when a Swedish army besieged the city in 1658-60. King Frederik III appealed to the students to take an active part in the armed defense of the city, which they agreed to do provided that they would be treated properly by the officers. They were allowed to create a corps lead by carefully selected commanders, which the students could accept. After the siege, the students’ permission to carry arms was extended. During the following decades, a student without a rapier was a rare sight. The appreciation of the students’ efforts during the siege strengthened their self-esteem and, to some extent, their unity.

Ulrik Langen

Further reading

C.E.F. Reinhardt, Kommunitetet og Regentsen fra deres Stiftelse til vore Dage, et Bidrag til det Kjöbenhavnske Universitets og Studenterlivs Historie, Copenhagen 1862

Holger Rørdam, De danske og norske Studenters Deltagelse i Kjøbenhavns Forsvar mod Karl Gustav. Et Bidrag til Kjøbenhavns Universitets Historie 1658-60, Copenhagen 1855

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