In 1364, King Casimir III the Great founded the University of Krakow, which would later be known as the Jagiellonian University. It was the first university in Poland and one of the oldest in Central Europe. The university was established to provide higher education and to train lawyers, physicians, and administrators for the kingdom.

The founding of the University of Krakow is a watershed moment for Polish literary culture, as it provided a center for the study of Latin literature and the composition of Polish poetry. It later became a hub for humanist scholars and poets, including Jan Kochanowski, the father of Polish poetry. The university's existence fostered the development of a vernacular literary tradition in Poland.