This was a period of ups and downs. To the progressive decrease in the value of the income assigned by the founder must be added the greater complexity of the academic plans and the incorporation of technical-scientific teaching that characterised the 18th-19th centuries. The University was forced to financial aid from the town council of Oñati - which constructed the building and paid the initial 500 ducats - and from the provincial authorities. Oñati set an annual sum, thanks to which the University was able to add two lecturers in Philosophy and two in Theology until 1767. A distinguished pupil of this period was the historian Camino, later professor and rector of the university.
In the second half of the 18th century, in the midst of the Enlightenment, the economically exhausted University was unable to sustain itself, let alone expand. In 1767 it only had four professorships: two of Law, one of Canons and one of Moral Theology. Students and professors deserted it, preferring the great Universities, privileged by the central power, especially in the R.O. of 1770 which exempted graduates and matriculates from Valladolid, Salamanca, Alcalá, Santiago, Oviedo, Seville, Granada, Cervera, Huesca, Zaragoza and Valencia, condemning the remaining ones to disappear. On the other hand, Basque patrons were not prodigal either, since, as Lizarralde comments:
"The wealthy families of Oñati, as well as those of the country in general, were very inclined to leave part of their assets to endow pious memorials; the great institutions of Christian charity in our country date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. But charity was rather miserly with what is one of the most beneficial institutions of that time".
The lack of means and a traditionalist vision of university education, refractory to enlightened innovations, were the cause of its decline. The university reform of 1771 - which led to the eclipse of the Benedictine University of Irache (Arts, Theology and Medicine) and the closure of the Dominican University of Santiago de Pamplona - put Oñati in a difficult situation. A report from 1771 on the University's income and chairs sheds light on its situation:
"The funds, Sir, that the University and College enjoy are the same without any separation or distinction whatsoever, and from the plan that they have drawn up of their income for the greater instruction of Your Majesty, it turns out that even the six thousand that have been set aside for the University and the College are the same, without any separation or distinction whatsoever. It turns out that, including the six thousand and thirteen reals with which the town contributes by virtue of a Royal faculty for the maintenance of three cathedras, two of Instituta and one of moral Theology, which was created in the year 1761 for the reason of having separated the expelled Regulars from the four of Theologia Scholastica and Philosophia for the omission and neglect with which they looked after public education, all their income amounts to 22,949 reals and thirty-two thousand and two mrs, of which 8,125 are destined to pay the salaries of the seven cathedratics who subsist at present: namely two of Instituta civil: two of Canon Law: one of moral Theology, and two of Philosophy: 2,125 to those of the Butler, secretary, Bailiff, Physician, Zirujano, and cook. The 850 to the payment of the subsidy and 4.000 to that of the expenses of the Chapel, extraordinary repairs of the estates; the voucher of oil, light, firewood and other conveniences with which the university college contributes for the shortness of their salary to the cathedratic collegiate students, and 7.894 reales and 32 mrs are left over in their benefit, with which the judicial diligences that may be necessary for the collection of their incomes must be paid. The funds from which the latter, with the exception of the 6,013 reales produced by the arbitrage with which the town contributes, consist of censuses, the estate, and actions against the Royal Company of Caracas".
Coinciding with a period of special misunderstanding the central power and the Basque Kingdom and provinces, there were two events of great interest in the last third of the 18th century: the incorporation of the foral powers into the financing of the University and the French occupation.
This was a period of ups and downs. To the progressive decrease in the value of the income assigned by the founder must be added the greater complexity of the academic plans and the incorporation of technical-scientific teaching that characterised the 18th-19th centuries. The University was forced to financial aid from the town council of Oñati - which constructed the building and paid the initial 500 ducats - and from the provincial authorities. Oñati set an annual sum, thanks to which the University was able to add two lecturers in Philosophy and two in Theology until 1767. A distinguished pupil of this period was the historian Camino, later professor and rector of the university.
In the second half of the 18th century, in the midst of the Enlightenment, the economically exhausted University was unable to sustain itself, let alone expand. In 1767 it only had four professorships: two of Law, one of Canons and one of Moral Theology. Students and professors deserted it, preferring the great Universities, privileged by the central power, especially in the R.O. of 1770 which exempted graduates and matriculates from Valladolid, Salamanca, Alcalá, Santiago, Oviedo, Seville, Granada, Cervera, Huesca, Zaragoza and Valencia, condemning the remaining ones to disappear. On the other hand, Basque patrons were not prodigal either, since, as Lizarralde comments:
"The wealthy families of Oñati, as well as those of the country in general, were very inclined to leave part of their assets to endow pious memorials; the great institutions of Christian charity in our country date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. But charity was rather miserly with what is one of the most beneficial institutions of that time".
The lack of means and a traditionalist vision of university education, refractory to enlightened innovations, were the cause of its decline. The university reform of 1771 - which led to the eclipse of the Benedictine University of Irache (Arts, Theology and Medicine) and the closure of the Dominican University of Santiago de Pamplona - put Oñati in a difficult situation. A report from 1771 on the University's income and chairs sheds light on its situation:"The funds, Sir, that the University and College enjoy are the same without any separation or distinction whatsoever, and from the plan that they have drawn up of their income for the greater instruction of Your Majesty, it turns out that even the six thousand that have been set aside for the University and the College are the same, without any separation or distinction whatsoever. It turns out that, including the six thousand and thirteen reals with which the town contributes by virtue of a Royal faculty for the maintenance of three cathedras, two of Instituta and one of moral Theology, which was created in the year 1761 for the reason of having separated the expelled Regulars from the four of Theologia Scholastica and Philosophia for the omission and neglect with which they looked after public education, all their income amounts to 22,949 reals and thirty-two thousand and two mrs, of which 8,125 are destined to pay the salaries of the seven cathedratics who subsist at present: namely two of Instituta civil: two of Canon Law: one of moral Theology, and two of Philosophy: 2,125 to those of the Butler, secretary, Bailiff, Physician, Zirujano, and cook. The 850 to the payment of the subsidy and 4.000 to that of the expenses of the Chapel, extraordinary repairs of the estates; the voucher of oil, light, firewood and other conveniences with which the university college contributes for the shortness of their salary to the cathedratic collegiate students, and 7.894 reales and 32 mrs are left over in their benefit, with which the judicial diligences that may be necessary for the collection of their incomes must be paid. The funds from which the latter, with the exception of the 6,013 reales produced by the arbitrage with which the town contributes, consist of censuses, the estate, and actions against the Royal Company of Caracas".
Coinciding with a period of special misunderstanding the central power and the Basque Kingdom and provinces, there were two events of great interest in the last third of the 18th century: the incorporation of the foral powers into the financing of the University and the French occupation.
Reforms of 1772-1777It was during these years that the foral power intervened for the first time in the financing of the University of Oñati. Thanks to this aid - 1,500 reales per Basque province - the chairs of Royal Law, Law of the Kingdom, General and National Councils and Natural and Public Law were established. An RO of 15 February 1777 once again authorised the granting of higher degrees. The authorisation was obtained thanks to the continuous efforts of the three Provincial Councils, the Oñati Town Council and the University itself, and also, as Zumalde (1968) points out, thanks to the intervention in Court of the Royal Basque Society of Friends of the Country and the Count of Peñaflorida who, as we know, were engaged in a work - the Seminary of Bergara - which was also university work, although much more up-to-date and modern. This first cloister was made up of the graduates Domingo de Ibarrola, rector, Juan Francisco de Inurrigarro, Mateo José de Areizaga, José Antonio de Aguirre, Francisco Antonio de Lizarra, Tomás de Saráchaga, Tomás de Zaballa and Francisco Javier de Urtaza. Thus, for 17 years, our Institution was one of the most important Universities on the Peninsula.
Division with the French occupationThe occupation of the country and the division of its governing class had repercussions on the life of the University; on 23rd November 1794, part of the cloister moved with royal authorisation to Vitoria together with some students. Thus, classes were held in Vitoria and Oñati during the months that the war lasted, after which the courses (Law, Canons and Philosophy faculties) were resumed in the usual place. The chair of Public, Natural and International Law was suppressed by virtue of the R. O. of 31 July 1794 by general measure. Consequently, the chairs of this College-University were reduced to the other chairs mentioned above.
Reforms of 1772-1777It was during these years that the foral power intervened for the first time in the financing of the University of Oñati. Thanks to this aid - 1,500 reales per Basque province - the chairs of Royal Law, Law of the Kingdom, General and National Councils and Natural and Public Law were established. An RO of 15 February 1777 once again authorised the granting of higher degrees. The authorisation was obtained thanks to the continuous efforts of the three Provincial Councils, the Oñati Town Council and the University itself, and also, as Zumalde (1968) points out, thanks to the intervention in Court of the Royal Basque Society of Friends of the Country and the Count of Peñaflorida who, as we know, were engaged in a work - the Seminary of Bergara - which was also university work, although much more up-to-date and modern. This first cloister was made up of the graduates Domingo de Ibarrola, rector, Juan Francisco de Inurrigarro, Mateo José de Areizaga, José Antonio de Aguirre, Francisco Antonio de Lizarra, Tomás de Saráchaga, Tomás de Zaballa and Francisco Javier de Urtaza. Thus, for 17 years, our Institution was one of the most important Universities on the Peninsula.
Division with the French occupationThe occupation of the country and the division of its governing class had repercussions on the life of the University; on 23rd November 1794, part of the cloister moved with royal authorisation to Vitoria together with some students. Thus, classes were held in Vitoria and Oñati during the months that the war lasted, after which the courses (Law, Canons and Philosophy faculties) were resumed in the usual place. The chair of Public, Natural and International Law was suppressed by virtue of the R. O. of 31 July 1794 by general measure. Consequently, the chairs of this College-University were reduced to the other chairs mentioned above.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)