Context: Considering a Victorian steampunk fanfic
Prior research: Memories of a lecture a year ago (can't find my notes), Google searching combinations of "Paris," "university," "status," "nobility education," "education," "nobles," and "college des nations", and a few interesting articles on the development of universities and colleges during the Middle Ages.
I recall from a lecture that in the early Middle Ages, the Parisian university was considered one of the top places for education and it attracted students from neighboring countries. I think the professor may have mentioned that it was this multinationality that led to the College des Nations.
Questions:
1. When did Parisian universities decline in terms of being a place of choice to send students? (I'm guessing when the country in question developed its own university of equal standards, but was there ever other values to studying abroad in the pre-modern age?)
2. Is there any plausible reason for a British prince to spend time at a Parisian university in the 1860-70s?
Thank you!