LECTURE 3: THE AGE OF CHARLEMAGNE, 700-900
THE FRANKS
A confederation of Frankish tribes, around since the 250s, made
treaties with Rome. Moved from Rhineland to the south by agricultural
expansion. From Holland to Belgium to France. In 507 they sent out the
visigoths. They fought off the Burgundians and absorbed them. They
went east too, into today's Germany. The Franks, unlike the others
with strikes against them, the Franks had some 'credit in the bank'.
They were catholic. plus. they allied with bishops and abbots of
monestaries. they were seen as friends of the church, and they made
capital out of it. Their language was Latin, and their laws, wills and
other document, coins in Latin. Like Gaul on a lesser scale!
MEROVINGIANS
Clovis was the founder of a dynasty, kept trappings going of provncial
roman life. In 511 he died and soon the way opened for Carolingians.
IRELAND AND SCOTLAND
Ireland has no political cohesion, Scotland either. Also the Slavic
lands and Scandinavian realms. In 750, it was just the Franks and
Anglo Saxons.
CHRISTIANIZATION OF EUROPE
Popes turned away from the 'Mediterranean' and towards the 'Atlantic'.
Atlantic civilization would become. Western Europe would become the
focus of Christianity.
The Papal State comes into being, where the odd situation of a
religious leader being also a head of state. Papal patronage,
baptistrys, learning centers in Rome etc. and other buildings.
Elsewhere in the West, bishops were important. Very, like local
rulers. Bishop cities emerged: Canturbury, York, etc. in Germany too,
bishop cities emerged, and those lands were folded into the system.
Bishops became advisors to the kings, and could talk to them and help
direct how to rule. Blessed their rulership.
CULTURE
Monks converted the people of the countryside, by default. They were
not cloistered like today, but worked and did conversions. Many
English and Irish monks were in Europe to preach and teach.
Books copied etc. They followed Augustines imperative of Christian's
learning being good. And so they didn't want to 'save' classical
culture, but instead, wanted to learn.
Exhuberant motifs, color, abstraction, intricate interlacing knotted
design, the glory of folk celtic art.
Schools were located in monestaries and cathedrals. kathedra is the
seat of a bishop. learning in hands of church: bible and the church
fathers are the expositors of learning. Purpose of education is not
pleasure, forming liberally educated people, not to get a job, but to
save souls. You went to
Lindesfarne produced a spectucular gospel book: masterpiece of
biblical scholarship and book art: Book of Kells. Greatest of the
scholars? The Venrable Bede (673-735) wrote a great history, biblical
commentary, theology, and time. We date anno domini today because of
Bede.
So, Three Cultural Realms.
THE WORLD OF CHARLEMAGNE
A world built by the Franks. Carolus Magnus was the greatest.
Caroliginians, from the northeast, a great house. Landowners already,
the Carolingians created marriage policies that connected them to
other powerful families. Also, they were prime minister types under
the Merovinginas, so they had 'office.' Also, worked with abbots and
bishops, founded monestaries, some women became abbesses (heads of
convents). And soldiers. Carolingins led the Frankish army.
Charles Martel in 732 scored the decisive victory- it resonated in
Frank Land, Rome, Byzantium even. A significant victory. Enhanced the
Carolingians greatly.
Pippin III in 750 asked the pope "is it bad for someone who has power
but not title to have it?" Pope Zachary said "it is an unnatural
order." That was the signal. But, what was the additional legitimacy
he could get? the pope's warrant. He rebuilt the Frankish kingdom, and
Carolignians no operate in their own name.
Charles. 768-814- turning point in European History. Striking man.
Some sculpture, no painting. Deeply moral, yet had concubines, with
perhaps 20 kids. Deeply kind, humane, moved by suffering. But who
could be vicious. Slaughtered Saxons just to teach them a lesson.
Barbarous but learned. Could speak and understand Latin, understand
Greek, could read Augustine's City of God, but couldn't write. 46
years reign. 46 years. he sees the opportunities. he sees them.
Brought key people to his court: Alquin the Anglo Saxon.
He spent well, intelligently. He had a vision. A real one, and a plan,
which he began implementing. It was only 15 years into his reign that
it starts to take shape! But take shape it did. If a person has the
will and vision, and the time, and the resources, he can get a great
deal done. From 780s, his plan was being implemented.
Military: waged 53 campaigns. Not a great leader or tactician like the
others like alexander, but he out-organized everybody. organized very
very well. He organized everything. He gave commands to
friend-soldiers, or sons. He was not a conquerer that just went and
went and went. He had a fixed idea of his realm, the Frankish realm.
He innovated and reformed institutions, and culture. Made royal
courtiers big shots.
He made that he was implementing the common vision, but it was really
his. he made it look like it was being jointly forged! sounds familiar
:)
They had political get-together-s at the court - assemblies that
passed laws, and the party would go on, many attendees and they
brought their teenage sons, were merry, and after many hours then,
after charlemagne met with all the people, and they all schmoozed him.
its not everyday you meet a king. then they made laws, 'by consensus!'
the king and his companions ruled the realm, the companions were
called counts. there were kings 'eyes and ears' too, and they reported
how his counts were doing. they were known to everyone, not spies.
they made sure the poor were not depressed, no bribes in courts etc.
honesty. Charles had a tidiness of mind, things should be done
everywhere. He asked for a book of canon law from the pope, applied
universally in the realm in 789. He asked for a mass book, it came
from pope hadrian I, was studied by frankish scholars, and implented.
He asked for a rule of st. benedict, so monestaries would know what
they were doing.
Popes visited Franks a lot, had a warm personal bond with carolingian
rulers. Pope Zachery gave Pepin his answer. Sephen II visited the
realm in 754 and crowned and anointed Pepin. Charles went to Rome to
visit after helping with the Lombard problem, and Charlemagne would go
to be crowned.
This whole thing is the foundation for a common culture throughout
western Europe. Common cultural life. and then the coronation.
Rome, 800. it was occasioned by problems in rome. the papal state was
suffering. Leo III was attacked by a mob... he appeals to charles. he
comes and is crowned. yet, this was prepared for by the thinking about
single rulers, about rome, about the best realm. Thinking about
empire.
CHRISTENDOM
In St. Peter's, on Christmas Day, on the high alter, Leo III crowned
him... not king but... emperor. But charles saw his empire as the
Franks. His Franks were 'a new chosen people.' Augustine spoke of city
of men and God, and that march of history was linear and that one day
the City of God would redeem the sinful city of man. Augustine did not
identify any PLACE as the city of God, and yet to the Franks in 800,
they began to see their realm as the City of God. And Charles as the
anointed ruler of Christians. A univeralizing civilization, greater
than political boundaries... something called Christendom, united
Christendom. A new Israel, and new chosen people, the Franks.
What happened when he died? It broke up. Family rivalries sons and
grandsons tore it up in wars. Treaty of Verdun in 843 makes the split
that would end up as France and Germany. But the secular law, canon
law, liturgy, monastic practice and such, made common foundations that
DID last.
From Outside, came forces that sealed the deal, and sent people back
to depending on local resources and provincialism: Invasions: Viking,
Muslim and Magyar, in 9th C. The localization of society. No great
central state dealt with these lightning attacks everywhere. But, that
Carolingian renaissance gave us the idea of a united Europe.
LA RENAISSANCE CAROLINGIAN
In french history, they've been calling it that for 180 years. we say
renaissance to the italian, but we can use it to carolingian too... or
reform. See, they knew they were doing something important, a great
cultural project. Its not artificial to attach reform or revival or
renaissance.
What animated them? The Bible. As a book, it was central, a literary
model. implementing the bible was a great goal. A Christian Roman
Empire, one following constantine not augustus. Church fathers were
copied and studied. Like the Renaissance brought back classical works,
the Carolingians brought back the church fathers. keep them goin!
SCHOOLS
The movement had to do with schools. schools, books, masters,
curriculum, etc. they taught the 7 liberal arts. liberal arts "arts
that make make a person free. free one's mind from ignorance, from
petty concerns, or from being unable to think."
Grammar: Study of Latin
Logic: right reasoning
Rhetoric: beautiful speech- and also sophisticated literary criticism,
study of language
Astronomy: study of heavens, navigation, seasons, stars
Arithmetic: simple reckoning
Geometry: measuring the Earth- some philosophy: showed how laws were woven
into the universe
Music: the study of music (musicology)
Trivium: grammar, logic, rhetoric: the basic stuff.
Quadrium: astronomy, artithmetic, geometry, music: only for the
advanced students
This was from antiquity through medieval times. Roman city schools had
this format. Now cathedral schools and monestaries... well, in 6th and
7th centuries it was not easy to get an education.
St. Boniface went during the time of Charles Martel to teach. Alquin
was brought by Charlemagne. he was schooled by the likes of Bede.
Charlemagne spotted him, brought him and let him go to work. Biblical
commentaries, poet, letters. "He's not really original" but... he made
it all work. He universalized it. Built foundations. This was not a
time for great flights of fancy, but to get back to basics. "every
monestary and cathedral must have a school". Only well educated people
should be teachers, copies must be accurate. And one Bible takes about
a year to make (with 2 scribes doin it!)
Many teachers came from Italy. Scholars brought books, were aware of
authors, letters, "may i borrow this book or that?" they were and they
were copied in the scriptorium, and libraries were made. A great
library had a few hundred books. Scale different.
Before the year 800, we have 180 physical books. Thats it. We have
6,000 from the 9th Century. Irony, they were not that interested in
Latin stuff, but they were interested in books and libraries, and
copies.
Gregory the Great's book The Pastoral Rule told how to be a bishop. it
also layed down ministerial service, and kingship was acertained from
this by the carolingins. Charlemagne is like David, like Solomon.
Kingship is a great responsibility, it is entrusted by God to his
servants to be exercised on His behalf for the bnefit of other people.
office is not for wealth power rank prestige or all that. the point
was service to others and to God. Be saintly and holy, and full of
christian ethics.
treaties on virtues and vices were made. virtues: faith hope and love
were right from christianity. classical virtues were: termperance,
prudence, justice and fortitude, and they were taken up by
christianity. it was well know what spiritual failings, the deadly
sins, were out there. this was how teaching ethics went.
Ironic: carolinginas loved latin, but they helped kill it by evolving
it, cause they taught latin correctly, and pure latin was frozen, it
didnt keep up with the romance changes.
Einhard wrote letters and a biography of charlemagne. Based it on the
lives of the caesars. debating the sacrament of baptism, how should it
be done? predestination? has it all been planned out by an omniscient
God, who knows the outcome? has he willed all this? or has he given
humans the freewill to change his universe?
Books had great paintings in them, works of art... most great early
medieval painting was done in books. Theodolf was versitile.
The great foundation of the european tradition.
READING FOR THE NEXT LECTURE
