Breve regnum erigitur is a song from the mid-15th century, sung by the students of Kraków Academy. As the Latin verses describe, during their annual week of student rule there was a reversal of college hierarchy: students elected their own ‘king’, took over the university and abolished lectures.
This curious song with a magnificent tune is testament to a brutal history and an unlikely recovery. The manuscript which includes it, one of Poland’s cultural gems of early renaissance Europe, was thought lost in the Nazis’ attempt to obliterate all vestiges of Polish culture. This article traces the history of Breve regnum erigitur via 15th century student life, the making of a manuscript collection, fascist destruction and theft, a Hollywood film, and the modern revival of student rule depicted in the song.
We begin with a performance of the song by early music ensemble La Morra, performed with three voices, lute, fiddle and recorder.