From Madrasa to College: The Islamic Influence in the Birth of the Christian Foundation

Abstract

This article explores the origins of the foundation in Christian Europe. When in 1264 Walter de Merton founded Merton College in Oxford, he broke with established tradition in that he did not entrust his gift to an existing religious order but instead created with Merton College a new legal body that was endowed with self-management and self-government. Up until the creation of Merton College, Christian donors customarily gave their gifts to the Catholic Church or an institution of the Church (monastery or religious order) thereby creating endowments that were administered by the Church. Merton decided against this tradition. Since there was no model within Christian Europe for this new kind of institution (foundation), scholars have long suggested that Merton took inspiration from the Islamic waqf in the creation of his foundation. This article will deepen this explanation by exploring the transition from creating endowments to creating foundations in medieval Europe.