The Carolingian Renaissance
Considering the significant role Christianity played in Charlemagne’s kingdom, it is not surprising that Charlemagne brought about religious reform among his clergy. In the few centuries before Charlemagne’s rule, Frankish monasteries had fallen in standards, such that the clergy had little education, and the monasteries were no longer recognised institutions of learning. At the same time, centres of learning independent of the Church had also disappeared, resulting in a deplorable state of education.
In an effort to reform the Frankish clergy, Charlemagne supported a variety of educational programs within the royal court, under the charge of a man called Alcuin of York. The best minds from all over Europe, including those from England, Ireland, and Italy, were brought to the Frankish court to cultivate a new and strong educational program. In the monasteries of St. Gall and Fulda, Charlemagne supported the establishment of schools. An interesting point is that the books needed for these educational reforms and new schools drove the Frankish scholars to find and transcribe old copies of Roman works (such as those by Tacitus, the scholar mentioned at the beginning of the section on the barbarians). In fact, the classics that we possess now from Roman times are largely due to the effort of the Carolingian scribes. Even the form of handwriting employed in these transcribed texts (called the Caroline minuscule) is still the precursor to most forms of printing in the English language today, due to its clarity. The transcription of Roman texts by the Frankish scribes is a prime example of the synthesis of a new culture from the fallen Romans and the now-dominating Germanic barbarians. Hence, with these educational reforms, the Carolingian Renaissance was ushered into the ninth century A.D.
The reform of education was in some ways part of the reform of the clergy – education was being reformed to re-sculpt and reorganize a sub-par clergy. At the parish, the clergy was trained to perform the Christian rituals in a standard and unified form. At monasteries, the Benedictine version of monasticism was encouraged as the established form, and the clerics knowledgeable to the field were cultivated in order to serve both the Church and the Frankish government effectively.
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Considering the significant role Christianity played in Charlemagne’s kingdom, it is not surprising that Charlemagne brought about religious reform among his clergy. In the few centuries before Charlemagne’s rule, Frankish monasteries had fallen in standards, such that the clergy had little education, and the monasteries were no longer recognised institutions of learning. At the same time, centres of learning independent of the Church had also disappeared, resulting in a deplorable state of education.
In an effort to reform the Frankish clergy, Charlemagne supported a variety of educational programs within the royal court, under the charge of a man called Alcuin of York. The best minds from all over Europe, including those from England, Ireland, and Italy, were brought to the Frankish court to cultivate a new and strong educational program. In the monasteries of St. Gall and Fulda, Charlemagne supported the establishment of schools. An interesting point is that the books needed for these educational reforms and new schools drove the Frankish scholars to find and transcribe old copies of Roman works (such as those by Tacitus, the scholar mentioned at the beginning of the section on the barbarians). In fact, the classics that we possess now from Roman times are largely due to the effort of the Carolingian scribes. Even the form of handwriting employed in these transcribed texts (called the Caroline minuscule) is still the precursor to most forms of printing in the English language today, due to its clarity. The transcription of Roman texts by the Frankish scribes is a prime example of the synthesis of a new culture from the fallen Romans and the now-dominating Germanic barbarians. Hence, with these educational reforms, the Carolingian Renaissance was ushered into the ninth century A.D.
The reform of education was in some ways part of the reform of the clergy – education was being reformed to re-sculpt and reorganize a sub-par clergy. At the parish, the clergy was trained to perform the Christian rituals in a standard and unified form. At monasteries, the Benedictine version of monasticism was encouraged as the established form, and the clerics knowledgeable to the field were cultivated in order to serve both the Church and the Frankish government effectively.
| Updated >> 21 September 2004 |