The Carolingian Unification
Jay Ratajczak
History of Civilization I
November 2, 2015
The phrase “Carolingian Renaissance” may conjure up images of a great revival in learning, a love for classical thought, and a general time of great education and progression. However, was the the Carolingian Renaissance actually a renaissance in the traditional sense of the word? Or was it more a tool used for the unification of an empire? One scholar plainly says that by definition it is hard for the Carolingian Renaissance to be thought of as a renaissance at all:
Broadly speaking, scholars use the term “renaissance” in two senses; first, in a more general sense, as a term denoting a certain kind of civilization which emerges as
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Einhard, Charlemagne’s biographer said that, “He also tried to write, and used to keep tablets and blank pages in bed under his pillow so that in his leisure hours he might accustom his hand to form the letters; but as he did not begin his efforts at an early age but late in life, they met with poor success” (Einhard, Hollister 86). Given Charlemagne’s love of learning, it is logical that the movement started in the center of the Palace, and then slowly spread throughout the empire into places such as Fulda, St. Gall, and Lorsch (Charles Dawson 200). The main instructor of this time was Alcuin, the leader of the school in York, he was brought in and taught according to the tradition of seven liberal arts, in the style of Isidore and the Venerable Bede (Christopher Dawson). In reality, Alcuin was not necessarily a teacher of great merit, he simply was a schoolmaster (Christopher Dawson). However, to the fractured world of the post-Roman world, this was exactly what was needed to pull them out of the depths of ignorance (Christopher Dawson). The biggest improvements in culture were in writing, art, and architecture. For example. Alcuin and the leaders of the movement helped create a reformation in the copying of documents (Christopher …show more content…
(Monumenta Germaniae Historiae, Legum, Alfred Boretius and Victor Krause).
The reason for the splintering is intriguing. Charlemagne divided his empire among his sons. This was the tradition at the time, but it seems odd given the fact that he spent most of his life attempting to create an empire through conquest, and then used the Church, writing, architecture and art to unify it, merely to split it apart amongst his
In the Frankish empire, there were numerous different cultures which inhabited it. A cultural dividing line can be draw down the Rhine River. On the left bank of the Rhine, you had the lands of Christian, Romanised Gaul, while on the right bank of the Rhine resided pagan Germania.* Culturally, linguistically and religiously, these two cultures could not have been more different from each other. In Gaul, the people had become Romanised and Christianised over the centuries by their roman overlords. Gaul was also heavily settled by the Franks, since they were feodrati for Rome. When the Western Roman Empire fell, it was easy for the Franks to move in and assume control over the territory. With the Franks conversion to Christianity in 496 The Franks were able to mix well with the Gallo-Roman land owners and peasants, leading Gaul to slowly transform itself into Francia.* The coronation of Charlemagne further enhanced his authority over his Gallic dominions by linking himself with the old Western Roman Empire.* This allowed him to be seen as a legitimate successor to the emperors of old, instead of a chieftain of a conquering
Einhard divides his discussion of Charlemagne into three distinct sections, perhaps in imitation of the king’s will, which is also partitioned into the same three underlying themes: church, empire, and intellect.
“He was born soon after 770 and was given his father’s name. The family sent him as a boy to the great monastery of Fulda, where he was educated, and made a grant to the abbey of land which they held in the Maingau. In the 790’s he was sent by the abbot to Charlemagne’s court, where he became the pupil of Yorkshireman Alcuin who had gone to teach there, and succeeded him as teacher at the palace school.”
The Relationship of Political and Religious Societies in the Age of Charlemagne, Based of Einhard's The life of Charlemagne sections 15-33
Charlemagne’s father, Pepin, died of dropsy on 24 September, 768 and left his two sons, Charlemagne and Carloman, with William, the Duke of Aquitania. After Pepin died, the whole kingdom was divided evenly between the two sons. It was split in such a way that Charlemagne would govern the part that belonged ...
Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, was the king of the franks. He was highly influenced by Constantine and his christian empire. Charlemagne supported christian art and commissioned the contraction of a palace and chapel in Germany, which severed as the center of his power. His time was known as the Carolingian Renaissance, where he revived many imperial roman traditions such as the early Christian tradition of depicting Christ as a statuesque youth. In his time marvelous illuminated manuscripts. After the rule of Charlemagne, as Carolingian art began to subside, entered the new ruler Otto III. Otto III was both influenced by Constantine and Charlemagne. Ottonian art focused on geometry, ivory plaques, and small artwork as well as elegantly illuminated manuscripts, lavish metal work, intricate carvings and Romanesque churches and cathedrals. Both Ottonian and Carolingian architecture mainly focused on geometrical shapes when constructing their churches and cathedrals. Unlike Charlemagne, Ottonian’s created a lot of metal work mainly in the form of manuscripts as a cover for books.The influence of Early Christianity reflected on both rulers through its art portraying stories from their christian belief’s.
“The apprenticeship of a King” describes how Charlemagne gained power through conquest and diplomacy. In 768, King Pippin died and his kingdom was divided between his two sons. Charles, the elder, and the younger was Carloman. The author says that little is known of Charles’ boyhood. When he was of the right age, it is recorded that he worked eagerly at riding and hunting. It was the custom of the Franks to ride and be practiced in the use of arms and ways of hunting. We may reasonably infer that acquiring these skills formed a major part of his early education. Charles was not a “man of letters” and the author makes no attempt at explaining this other than to point out that literacy was considered unimportant at that time for anyone other than the clergy and Charles didn’t become interested in “letters” until later in life. Bullough explains a number of experiences in public duties and responsibilities, which were assigned to Charles by his father, thus, giving him an apprenticeship to rule the kingdom. For some reason tension between Charles and his brother began shortly after their accession. The author explains a number of conflicts. The younger brother died however, at the end of 771 and a number of prominent people in his kingdom offered allegiance to Charles. Bullough names and explains those subjects. The result was the re-uniting of those territories, which helped to establish the kingdom of the Franks.
Charlemagne, a Frank decendent, had reunited parted of the empire including: France, Italy, and Germany. He restored law and stability in those regions along with his successor, the Carolingians until Viking invasions which returned unstability and disorder back to the region. By the eleventh century, Europe was divided, unstable, and lawless, especially France. France was divided into two parts with two different languages. “France was even divided linguistically with two distinct languages, Languedor, and Languedoc- prevailing in the north and south respectively” (5, Asbridge).
There were three heirs to the legacy of Rome that appeared after its fall. These heirs included Latin Christendom, Byzantium, and Islam. Latin Christendom lagged behind the other two, but eventually caught up. Modern Western societies trace their origin through Latin Christendom. During the Early Middle Ages, Christianity continued to spread throughout Europe. Furthermore, Merovingian King Clovis the First was the earliest Germanic ruler to convert to the Christian faith. Moreover, the Early Middle Ages saw the rise of Charlemagne as the ruler of the Franks. Charlemagne left a lasting legacy, and was instrumental in initiating the Carolingian Renaissance. The Carolingian Renaissance was an attempt to raise the standard of learning. Furthermore, the Franks had an alliance with the Papacy. During this era, there was a significant growth of Papal power. Consequently, as the Christian church increased in power it also increased its influence on society. Another religion emerged in the Middle East which affected Latin Christendom. The emergence of the new Islamic faith eventually caused tension with Latin Christendom that culminated in the Crusades. The Muslims invasion of France was repelled at the Battle of Tours by Charles Martel. The Muslims had even invaded sections of Byzantium. Issues s...
Charlemagne was born in 742 A.D., to a very famous and well-known family. Charlemagne’s grandfather was Charles Martel, the man who was responsible for the defeat of the Saracens. Charlemagne was also the eldest son of Bertrade (also known as Bertha Greatfoot) and Pepin the Short, the first to become king of the Franks. With the almost full extinction of schools in the 8th century, many historians say that Charlemagne received very little education, but did learn the art of reading from Bertrade.
Throughout the middle ages, many empires were working on expanding their territory, but it was not always a success unless they had the appropriate leadership to guide them in the right direction. The main empire that grew to extraordinary lengths is that of the Roman Empire. Through many conquests and battles and with an amicable government, it attained its fortune. However, on the other hand, there was another government that shared similarities with that of Rome; this was the empire of Charlemagne, otherwise known as the Carolingian Empire, but it failed to have a prosperous eternity.
He had a vision of what it meant to be a great king. He followed the history of the kings after Alexander the Great. He believed he had to increase the social, political and intellectual organization of his society. This distinguished himself from any other ruler from the past three hundred years. Charlemagne wanted to recreate what the Roman Empire once was capable of, but even better. As he traveled, he made sure he created a great educational system. He built a chain of schools and provided classes for chil...
Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, reigned during a time of much turmoil and upheaval in Europe during middle ages. Charlemagne’s background and family history contributed much to his rise to power. The triumphs of his past lineage prepared him to take on the task of governing the Frankish Empire, and defending it from invaders. Charlemagne accomplished much during his supremacy. He not only brought education back into medieval Europe, but also invented an efficient way to govern his people. His conquests against the many adversaries of the Holy Roman Empire expanded his empire across the majority of Europe. His conquests also formed strong ties between the Catholic Church and the State. Charlemagne’s drive to convert Europe’s primitive and pagan tribes to Christianity nearly effaced the Saxons, whom he battled with for the majority of his reign. The crowning of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor created a turning point in history. Within years after his death, however, his once great empire amounted to nothing. Charlemagne’s reign as King of the Franks and as Holy Roman Emperor greatly influenced the course of Europe during the middle ages.
After Charlemagne's death, the Carolingian Empire was divided in three parts by the Treaty of Verdun in 834. This division weakened the Empire, many battles took place and it allowed the Viking's invasions from the north. It was around that time that the hereditary character of feudalism and the power of the fiefs, in...
An example of technology is the printing press. The printing press was invented and perfected by Johannes Gutenberg (Printing Press Invention Led to Revolution in the Arts). “The Gutenberg printing press revolutionized book production and helped to foster the development of arts, sciences and religion” (Printing Press Invention Led to Revolution in the Arts). The printing press forever changed how books and papers were made. The Bible was the first thing to be mass produced in volume (Printing Press Invention Led to Revolution in the Arts). Since the Bible was produced in large quantities it was now available for the public. This created the time of the printing