Homo academicus in baroque Catalonia. The social dimension of the conflict university legal

Abstract

During the second half of the 17th century, the cloister of the Literary University of Barcelona questioned, before the vice-regnal authorities of Catalonia, the legal protection of the Llobera’s College of Solsona. In principle (1655), the existence of the pontifical privilege of erection of general study and university in the College, run by the Dominicans, was questioned, but the final plea of Barcelona (1690) was limited to urging the royal authority to cease the granting of the degree of doctor by this pontifical university center. Despite its legal appearance (the knot of the controversy was the right of royalty on university degrees), and the invocation of the authority of renowned Hispanic lawywers of the time (Mendo, Escobar, Cortiada), the nature of the conflict was social and political. Unlike the case of the Valencian University of Oriola (also run by the Dominicans), the attack against the Catalan one of Solsona did not achieve his real objective, which was to keep his doctorates in the progression of the social status.