Stökiga studenter : Social kontroll och identifikation vid universiteten i Uppsala, Dorpat och Åbo under 1600-talet

Sammanfattning: The thesis focuses upon three universities in Sweden during its ‘Age of Greatness’, Uppsala, Dorpat and Åbo, with a special emphasis upon the universities academic jurisdiction. On the whole the universities saw State intervention as a useful tool in local conflicts with the surrounding town community but opposed that very same form of intervention when it tried to interfere in internal university matters. Only minor reforms however, in the face of often fierce State criticism as to the lack of discipline among the students, were instituted but left the universities’ prerogatives untouched.Relations with the local authorities were at times quite stormy and characterised by intense if brief disputes. The main areas of dispute between the universities and the local city authorities was the public peace and the rights to titles and ranking in Church during Mass. The results of the study show a marked difference between the three case studies in both areas which had important consequences for the relative success of social controls in general.The thesis has also investigated the internal relationship between the three universities themselves and the conclusion is that there was considerable difference between formal statures and actual practical jurisdiction. The relationship between professors and students were mutually dependent and beneficial. There were surprisingly few cases of them either verbally or physically abusing their lecturers. As for the students themselves the thesis looks at two vital aspects namely age and geographic distribution of origins. This illustrates the problem that some students were picked upon and punished or degraded because of their age or origins. Hardly any students responsible for these activities were however charged or punished for their actions.