In the mid-13th century, Cistercians began to establish university colleges. At the beginning of the 16th century, almost every major European university had a Cistercian college. The Polish branch of the Order joined the "school mission" relatively late. The first initiative in this regard appeared only in the 15th century. It was in the years 1401 and 1416-7 that two Cistercian foundations were established in Krakow. The catchment area of the Krakow study was designated in 1417 at the Council of Constance by the abbot of Citeaux. He announced that Kraków should be the center of the Cistercians from the Kingdom of Poland and the area of the Archbishopric of Gniezno. However, this ruling was a violation of the rights of the Abbot of Altzelle. In 1413, the abbot who headed the college of St. Bernard in Leipzig, was entrusted with a "school mission" in Silesia and Gdańsk Pomerania. The legal discrepancy led to a prolonged conflict between the Mogila Abbey in Kraków and Altzelle. The matter was resolved only at the end of the century, when Kraków confirmed its claims to control the education of Silesian monasteries. The northern monasteries (especially Pelplin), which consistently refused to bow to Krakow, were allowed to decide independently about the choice of university for their students.
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