Founding of University of Oxford

The University of Oxford, in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. There is evidence of teaching at Oxford from 1096, and the institution grew quickly from 1167, when English students were barred from the University of Paris during a quarrel between Henry II and the king of France. Scholars organized themselves into a university in the 13th century, and colleges such as University College, Balliol and Merton were founded as places to live and study. Its colleges still provide teaching and housing. Oxford's graduates include many prime ministers, scientists and writers, and its Bodleian Library is among the oldest in Europe. Its long rivalry with Cambridge, which was founded by scholars leaving Oxford, is part of English academic history.

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