Trinity College Dublin

The University of Dublin, Trinity College was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. In the royal charter the name given was: ''The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity near Dublin''. Its main purpose was to promote civility, learning and Protestant piety among the Irish people who are a Catholic nation.

Trinity College, the main entrance

The seal of the college

Queen Elizabeth I of England (1558-1603)

The terms ''University of Dublin'' and ''Trinity College'' are synonymous because the University of Dublin consists of only one college. Another controversy is the date of the founding itself. Some manuscripts mention 1591 as the founding date, while some historians consider 1592 the right year. The main reason behind this debate is simple: Britain and Ireland were late in accepting the Gregorian calendar.

The Corporation of Dublin allocated over 30 acres to the new university almost 1 kilometer east of the centre of Dublin city. The land had been the site of the Priory of All Hallows until the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII 60 years previously. The majority of the early Provosts of the university came from Cambridge University, which is why the curriculum of Cambridge played a major role in the first years of Trinity College.

However, the enrollment was quite small. In the mid-1640s, there were less than 20 students enrolling up per year. The main subject was theology, the aims being the education of prospective clergymen in the Protestant tradition. The years that followed would prove to be even harder. With the accession of James II to the throne in England in 1685 the university almost went bankrupt. The English king was a staunch Catholic and as a result, he did not provide enough financial support for this Protestant college. 

James II of England (1685-1688)

Fortunately, King James was deposed in bloodless coup called the Glorious Revolution, in 1688. He was later defeated in battle by William of Orange, the new Protestant King of England and James' son-in-law. James II would die in exile years later. 

William III of England (1689-1702)

This shift of power was good news for Trinity College. Once again, the college received funds from the Crown and it managed to expand as the most important alma mater in Ireland. Although religion would continue to play a significant part in the life of Trinity College, and across Ireland as a whole over the following centuries, academic excellence was the prime focus of most of those involved with the college's development and that remains to this day.