Talk:University of Northampton (thirteenth century)

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I understood that the reason for the closure of Northampton's original university was to do with support for Simon de Montfort's rebellion, not because of any perceived threat to (the University of?) Oxford. Matthew 17:19, 29 April 2006 (UTC)

I believe that the initial call to close the University came from those concerned about the status of Oxford. Due to the town standing against the King, he did not need much encouragement and happily closed the University whilst also declaring that no University should exist in the entire county (I think). When the current University received its status from the Privy Council, they had to convince the Council that this decree should no longer be applied, as the idea of protecting Oxford from competition was not relevant in the modern academic environment.