Did they have school in the Middle Ages?

Answer 1

There were schools in many places during the Middle Ages. This was true for the entire time, and there were even schools that were opened during the Roman Empire, that survived until the end of the Middle Ages or later.

The Byzantine Empire had a primary school system that was open to all free men and at least some women. I cannot find documentation on whether it was open to all women, but at least some were educated. This system was opened in 425 AD and was kept up until the empire was destroyed in 1453. Parts of it were probably kept open by the Ottomans after that. It operated on the village level, so there were a lot of these schools.

There were also schools in the West. Cor Tewdws (Welsh for Theodosius College) was was opened before 395 AD and was closed after the Middle Ages ended by King Henry VIII. Visigoths opened schools in Spain, starting in the middle of the 6th century. The English opened schools as early as 596 AD, when Kings School in Canterbury opened - it is still operating today. The oldest state run school in the world, Beverley Grammar School, was opened in Yorkshire (Northumbria) in 700 AD, and was kept open by the Vikings when they conquered the area. Charlemagne also opened schools, at least one of which, Gymnasium Carolinum, is still in operation.

Certain groups of people had their own schools, and this was true for the entire period and throughout Europe. Notably, Jews commonly had schools for their children, and in many places Muslims had schools for theirs as well. Both of these groups were particularly important in Spain, providing a very high standard of culture and some of the best medical practice in Europe. In some places, particularly Italy of the last two hundred years of the Middle Ages, merchant families had their children, both boys and girls, educated in schools designed to fill their needs.

Answer 2

Yes, they had schools in the Middle Ages.

In the Byzantine Empire, there was a system of schools for primary education that operated at the village level and taught both boys and girls.

In Western Europe, the Church operated schools throughout the Middle Ages. In fact there was at least one school that was founded before the Middle Ages started, and was closed over 1000 years later, after the Middle Ages ended (Cor Tewdws, or Theodosius College, in Wales). There were schools opened during the Middle Ages as well. The earliest medieval school opening of which we know was opened by Visigoths in the early 6th Century. But King's School in Canterbury was opened before 600 AD, and in 700 AD, Beverley Grammar School in Yorkshire was opened as a state run school. There are about 70 schools in Europe that were opened during the Middle Ages which remain open today.

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