The Carolingian Intellectual Renaissance, Research Paper Example

The Carolingian Intellectual Renaissance and Western European Civilization

After the death of Pepin in 768, the Frankish Kingdom was automatically given into the hands of a powerful and dynamic ruler Charles the Great (or Charlemagne).[1] Charlemagne uniquely combined the features of a talented warrior and of a person who sought to expand the boundaries of his knowledge: as such, learning for Charlemagne was one of the top priorities. Under the influence of Charlemagne, the Carolingian empire was given a unique stimulus for intellectual and cultural revival. The so-called Carolingian intellectual renaissance became the turning point in the development and subsequent prosperity of the Carolingian people and the rest of Europe. Although political instability and inner controversies soon brought Carolingian intellectual renaissance to an end, it would be fair to assume that the cultural revival initiated and carried out by Charlemagne set the stage for the development of the Europeam cultural and intellectual consciousness and turned the subsequent rebirth of education and learning in the European lands into a reality.

The significance of the Carolingian intellectual renaissance to European civilization

The roots of the Carolingian intellectual renaissance lay in the disposition and intellectual/ learning beliefs of Charlemagne himself: deeply committed to the principles of cultural inquisitiveness and learning, Charlemagne sought to create and sustain a nation that would support his learning strivings and would be culturally and intellectually advanced. “Though crude and brutal, Charlemagne was a man of enormous intelligence. He appreciated good literature, such as Saint Augustine’s City of God, and Einhard considered him an unusually effective speaker”.[2] As such, Charlemagne did not simply want to improve the state of learning and culture in the Carolingian empire, but he was aware of the cultural and intellectual problems that existed in his lands and had an urgent need to turn his possessions into an advanced form of continuous intellectual growth.

The significance of the Carolingian cultural rebirth was reflected in the development of the new education system, which uniquely combined religion and scholarly learning: Charlemagne actively used monasteries to preserve and promote Latin culture, while monks actively worked to copy the most important Biblical and related religious manuscripts, to make religious knowledge available to the generations that followed.[3] The impact of the Carolingian intellectual renewal was particularly strong in Northumbrian culture: Northumbrian monasteries produced dozens of books, including missals, psalters, commentaries on the Scriptures, law codes, and sermons.[4] The development of book production and the new ways of producing books became, probably, the most influential legacy of the Carolingian intellectual renaissance under Charlemagne: instead of traditional papyrus, monks of the Carolingian period used parchment and sheepskin, which became the most important carriers of written information at times of Charlemagne; those materials were supplemented and decorated with precious metals and jewels.[5] Unfortunately, the use of parchment made books unaffordable to masses: they were too expensive. As such, not only did the Carolingian intellectual renaissance improved and promote better quality of producing books, but it significantly contributed to the preservation of the nation’s ancient legacy: the Carolingian renaissance made the works of Biblical origin and other ancient papers available to Europeans.

The Carolingian intellectual renaissance was significant to Western European civilization in a sense that it set the stage for the profound transformation of the whole system of education and learning in Europe. The Carolingian renaissance was associated with the theological renewal, and the latter also helped to transform the churches and monasteries into the centers of learning.[6] In the history of the Carolingian renaissance, Alcuin was the first to use a monastery as the center of learning and further expanded his influence to develop and promote the establishment of the monastic schools throughout northern Europe: monastic schools were designed for those, who sought to acquire monastic skills, while cathedral schools worked to promote scholarly knowledge to masses.[7] Alcuin also prepared official documents for Charlemagne, while scholars gathered in the Aachen court copied manuscripts and books, created libraries, promoted handwriting, and made it possible for the priests and monks to advance their knowledge; at the same time, the spreading of the Latin language and culture facilitated the process of establishing basic literacy among clergy and priests; reading, writing, and arithmetic became the basic components of individual education and learning.[8] Both the development of the Carolingian miniscule and the production of books represented a broader technological change in the Carolingian society which, in its turn, caused far-reaching cultural consequences. Although political instability and inner controversies soon put the renaissance to an end, it laid the foundation for the profound intellectual transformation in western European civilization and created conditions necessary for the successful cultural and intellectual evolution in Europe.

The period of Charlemagne’s rule was associated with a profound cultural transformation, which was later called the Carolingian intellectual renaissance. The latter significantly contributed to the successful cultural development in western European civilization. The growth of book production, the development of the new writing techniques, the transformation of monasteries and cathedrals into the centers of learning altogether facilitated the intellectual and cultural growth in the Carolingian empire and, as a result, in the rest of Europe. The preservation of the ancient legacy and the establishment of the basic literacy laid the foundation for the subsequent cultural and intellectual evolution in Europe for decades ahead.

Bibliography

McGrath, A.E. Christian Theology: An Introduction. New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2006.

Spielvogel, J.J. Western Civilization: To 1715. New York: Cengage Learning, 2008.

[1] J.J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: To 1715, (New York: Cengage Learning, 2008), p. 218

[2] J.J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: To 1715, (New York: Cengage Learning, 2008), p. 219

[3] J.J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: To 1715, (New York: Cengage Learning, 2008), p. 219

[4] J.J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: To 1715, (New York: Cengage Learning, 2008), p. 220

[5] J.J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: To 1715, (New York: Cengage Learning, 2008), p. 220

[6] A.E. McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction, (New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2006), p. 25

[7] A.E. McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction, (New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2006), p. 25

[8] J.J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: To 1715, (New York: Cengage Learning, 2008), p. 220