Oxford is the oldest university in the English speaking world, it can lay claim to 9 centuries of continuous existence. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly. 1167: Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. The prestige of Oxford is seen in the fact that it received a charter from King Henry II, granting its citizens the same privileges and exemptions as those enjoyed by the capital of the kingdom; and various important religious houses were founded in or near the city. Parliaments were often held in the city during the thirteenth century. The Provisions of Oxford were installed in 1258 by a group of barons led by Simon de Montfort; these documents are often regarded as England's first written constitution. 1201:the head of the University was named a chancellor. 1231:the new name:‘universitas’ of the institution In the mid-13th century: religious orders settled in Oxford which maintained houses for students Soon collages were established 1250s:Balliol and Merton Colleges were established. (They are the oldest.) In 1530, Henry VIII forced the University to accept his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. 1642-1649 English Civil War: the university was the centre of the Royalist Party. Oliver Cromwell (chancellor from 1650 to 1657) prevented Oxford and Cambridge from being closed down by the Puritans. The University of Cambridge was first established in 1209 (by a group of scholars fleeing authorities in Oxford, and its oldest college, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284.) In 1209, scholars taking refuge from hostile townsmen in Oxford migrated to Cambridge and settled there. At first they lived in lodgings in the town, but in time houses were hired as hostels with a Master in charge of the students. By 1226 the scholars were numerous enough to have set up an organisation, represented by an official called a Chancellor, and seem to have arranged regular courses of study, taught by their own members. King Henry III took the scholars under his protection as early as 1231 and arranged for them to be sheltered from exploitation by their landlords. At the same time he tried to ensure that they had a monopoly of teaching, by an order that only those enrolled under the tuition of a recognised master were to be allowed to remain in the town.