María Elena Maseras Ribera (25 May 1853 – 4 December 1905), also known as Elena Maseras, was a Spanish woman who was allowed to enlist as a university student with special dispensation from King Amadeo I in 1872; having been formally admitted to a class in 1875, she was finally allowed to graduate in 1882, which created a

precedent Precedent is a judicial decision that serves as an authority for courts when deciding subsequent identical or similar cases. Fundamental to common law legal systems, precedent operates under the principle of ''stare decisis'' ("to stand by thin ...

allowing women to enroll at universities in Spain from that point on.Consuelo Flecha: Las primeras universitarias en España, 1872-1910. Narcea Ediciones, 1996 She studied medicine at the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona (official name in ; UB), formerly also known as Central University of Barcelona (), is a public research university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was established in 1450. With 76,000 students, ...

, but did not sit the last exam to qualify to practice as a physician, and became a teacher instead. Some gardens in the

Eixample The Eixample (, ) is a district of Barcelona between the old city (Ciutat Vella) and what were once surrounding small towns (Sants, Gràcia, Sant Andreu, etc.), constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its population was 262,000 at ...

district were named after her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maseras, Elena 1853 births 1905 deaths 19th-century Spanish people 19th-century Spanish women University of Barcelona alumni 19th-century Spanish women physicians 19th-century Spanish educators 19th-century Spanish women educators

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