Name a famous medieval university founded in the 12th century in France.

The story behind the answer

Among the options, the only institution both in France and founded in the 12th century is this one; Bologna is in Italy (11th century), Oxford is in England, and Montpellier dates to 1220 (13th century).

Evolving from the cathedral schools of Notre-Dame and Sainte-Geneviève around 1150, it became medieval Europe’s premier center for theology and the liberal arts. Royal and papal privileges in 1200, 1215, and 1231 formalized its status, and its colleges—most famously the Sorbonne—nurtured scholastic thinkers like Thomas Aquinas and Peter Abelard, shaping the model for later universities.