The First Renaissance During the late eighth and ninth centuries under Charles the Great, a period of scholarship and cultural revival occurred that were the first steps leading society out of a time of intellectual darkness, and into enlightenment and prosperity. This movement was called the Carolingian Renaissance. However, many historians question whether this intellectual and cultural revival period deserves the title of “renaissance”. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a “renaissance” is defined as a time where there is a new interest in something that has not been popular in a long time. Although historians dispute whether the Carolingian Renaissance should merit the title of “renaissance”, this period deserves the title because …show more content…
Alcuin, who was a prominent Carolingian scholar, invented a new handwriting style called Carolingian Miniscule. Carolingian Miniscule presented several advantages over the current handwriting techniques, such as being more legible, having spaces between words and including an extensive punctuation system (Colish 67). With this reformed handwriting, the clergy could preach the works of classics with consistency. With the advancement of writing, people began to take interest in documenting the historical cultures (mainly Greek and Roman). Almost 90% of the works of the Roman civilization in existence today can be traced in the earliest forms to a Carolingian manuscript (Knox). By having Carolingian scribes preserve the classical texts of Ancient Rome and Greece, they could supply this culture for future generations. With these improvements in increased literacy and handwriting, the Carolingian Renaissance enabled the clergy to offer a quality liberal arts …show more content…
Charlemagne, who knew that the only way to have cohesiveness among the people of his domain was to have a unifying culture, in this case Christianity. Hence, he generously donated money to the founding of many monasteries in western Europe. Prior to the Carolingian Renaissance, monasteries were in a state of steep decline. With Charlemagne’s sponsorship, both the monasteries and Charlemagne benefited. The monasteries benefited by significantly expanding and gaining power in the European society, while Charlemagne created the unification of people through Christianity that he desired, and having the monasteries provide civil servants. The monasteries had two main purposes: the teaching and spreading of Christianity, and as a center for scholarship. Most Carolingian monasteries had writing rooms, called scriptoria, for the sole purpose of writing and copying manuscripts. Here, the monks not only copied, but purified the texts of any grammar mistakes that had occurred during the copying process of the texts over the years (Kreis). Also, within the monasteries, Carolingian masters produced vast quantities of literature that was not composed for utilitarian purposes, and instead, for intellectual curiosity into different disciplines of studies (Colish 69). This idea of veering away from utilitarian
Charlemagne’s reign before his death was also an important event in the shaping of Europe. Charlemagne (768 -814) also known as “Charles the Great” would raid Italy and capture the Lombard crown adding Northern Italy in 774. He would fight the Saxon’s for over thirty years expanding his territory along the way. The emperor would aggressively convert foreigners after conquering their territory into Christianity. By 800, he extended his territory into the Western and Central regions of Europe. The Carolingian King would create institutions that would mirror the old Roman Empire and set up districts under an appointed authority called a “count” similar to a modern governor.
mostly through their arts. The Carolingians really brought together traditional Roman and Latin with the new,
By the Cross and the Sword : Charlemagne’s Impact on the West. “He who ordains the fate of kingdoms in the march of the centuries, the all-powerful Disposer of events, having destroyed one extraordinary image, that of the Romans, which had, it was true, feet of iron, or even feet of clay, then raised up, among the Franks, the golden head of a second image, equally remarkable, in the person of the illustrious Charlemagne. Notker the Stammerer, the monk of St. Gall, wrote these words in AD 844 to describe the reign of the most influential Frankish king Charlemagne ( Lectures 1). Charlemagne, son of Pepin the Short, ruled the Franks for 47 years (Koeller 1). The Carolingian Dynasty, of which Charlemagne was a member, was established in AD 751 when Pepin dethroned the last Merovingian king. The Carolingians ruled a land that “spoke several different tongues, had different cultural and historical traditions, and different institutions.”(Nelson 2). The great variation found in the people of the Frankish kingdom produced for Charlemagne great obstacles. Dr. Skip Knox, Professor at Boise State University argues that the “monarchy among the Franks was not equipped to deal with this situation…” (Knox 11). Attempting to establish control in his empire, Charlemagne implemented a series of programs that would produce a new form of government and would engage his court in an intellectual renaissance. Charlemagne was forced to entirely reinvent the Merovingian system of government, and to do so he “either created new offices, or adapted old ones to new purposes…” (Knox 11). He appointed dukes and counts, and appointed in the German regions of the land margraves, an office that would remain long after the time of Charlemagne. Thus, Charlemagne created a political hierarchy in which the counts would report to the dukes, and the dukes to Charlemagne himself. Charlemagne gained the loyalty and respect of his barons by leading them on numerous successful military campaigns (Knox 10). He also insisted that his nobles be educated, and formed at his palace a school under the direction of the scholar Alcuin (Nelson 3). With Alcuin as the “minister of education”, the place school began what is known as the “Carolingian Renaissance”. This characterization is supported by the desire of the emperor to rebuild the Roman Empire and rule in the same manner as the roman ...
Despite the nature, origins and even existence of the Renaissance being subject to intensive investigation by many historians, the traditional understanding of the European renaissance as being defined as the bridge between the Middle Ages and modern era has resonated in society throughout time. Exemplified through the influx of creative arts, literature and philosophy of that time, Swiss cultural historian Jacob Burckhardt defined this bridge as being the result of an immense intellectual transformation in humanity. In fact, the term ‘renaissance’, coined by the French historian Jules Michelet, can be translated to mean ‘new birth’ or ‘rebirth’. Spanning roughly through the 14th to 17th centuries, the renaissance is often recognised as the time of a revolution of cultural revitalization and exploration. These traditionalist ideas of the Renaissance as developed by Michelet and later expanded by Burckhardt were however ultimately disposed by revisionist historians like Charles Homer Haskins who began a revolt against Renaissance idea, motivated by the goal to deny the era any legitimate historical existence and annex the period to the middle ages. However, the perspectives of these historians in this debate are ultimately a reflection of their own context and purposes. Both Michelet and Burckhardt’s approach reflect their own 19th-century world, whilst Haskins was heavily influenced by his liberal, optimistic 20th-century ideals. A more contemporary approach to the debate is exemplified through historiographer Wallace K. Ferguson. Ferguson had chosen to focus and draw conclusions from the mirrored reflections and controversies surrounding the Renaissance idea that persisted amongst past historians. However, despite argua...
The Renaissance was a period of European history that began in 14th-century Italy and spread to the rest of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. In this period, the feudal society of the Middle Ages (5th century to 15th century) was transformed into a society dominated by central political institutions, with an urban, commercial economy and patronage of education, the arts, and music. The term renaissance, literally meaning "rebirth," was first employed in 1855 by French historian Jules Michelet (Paolucci 14). Swiss historian Jakob Burckhardt, in his classic work The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860), defined the Renaissance as the period between Italian painters Giotto and Michelangelo (Paolucci 18). Burckhardt characterized it as the birth of modern humanity after a long period of decay, although modern scholars have since debunked the myth that the Middle Ages were dark and dominant (Paolucci 18).
The Renaissance time period started in the late 14th century and it lasted all through the 16th century. It all started in the late Middle ages throughout Italy (http://fashionhistory.net) taking at least one-hundred years before it reached the Northern Alps. This was also the period where the word “European” was put in use and understood by other places, and the word “Renascrere” originated from the Italian word “Renascrere” and it meant to be re-born. The word Renascrere fitted perfectly to this age due to the fact that many had intellectual pursuits and creative energy was re-born (www.richeast.org). The Renaissance would be best known for its artistic aspect and famous polymaths as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo given the term “Renaissance
The Renaissance was a time period that started around 1300s C.E. and lasted to the 1500s and began in Italy and over time spread to Europe (Frey 316). The Renaissance was known for adopting new ideas, the study of humanism, breathtaking art, and the era of deadly diseases that spread rapidly from one person to another and killed people within days.
The Renaissance Introduction Brief overview of the Renaissance It started and ended from the 1300’s to the 1600’s It began in Northern Italy about 1350 right after the Black Death had ravaged the country, killing from a third to half the population. Definition of the word Renaissance The word Renaissance means rebirth
The Renaissance period of history occurred during the 15th and 16th centuries. Renaissance in its basic definition means rebirth. According to Merriam Webster, renaissance formally means, “a movement or period of vigorous artistic and intellectual activity” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary). Renaissance is the title given to the period of great change in music and art. The Renaissance period ushered in a culture of music that the public could enjoy. Most importantly it was a period that encouraged musicians and composers to create music and take risks with voices, instruments and notes.
There was first the uncials and half-uncials that emerged during the time that the Book of Kells was written and from there the look of the writing advanced. From uncials, half-uncials, majuscules and minuscule to Carolingian scripts that had later changed up until the Renaissance. As stated by ‘Carolingian Scripts’ (n.d.), “The orderliness, simplicity, clarity, and dignity of the new script were virtues that made a special appeal to a man like Charlemagne, who, as we know, was not above taking a profound interest in the labours of scribes. To the royal approbation was added that of Alcuin.” (para. 4).
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
The Renaissance period started in Italy and took place between the 1400’s and the 1600’s. In French, the term Renaissance means rebirth, which is an accurate way to describe that period since it was then that many people chose to break away from the stagnation, incertitude, and extreme hardships that occurred during the Middle Ages and plagued most of Europe. The Renaissance period is noted for being a time when the population sought educational reform which increased literacy and many were able to master more than one skill set. This led to an intellectual, economic, and artistic revolution that transformed several European nations such as Italy, France, Spain, and several others. During this time, there were several developments within the Catholic Church, such as scandals and controversy.
The Renaissance, also known as the Middle Ages, is very historic because of the wealth and power that it held. Through economic and political aspects, it flourished into the ripe environment that it is known of today. Although the culture
The Renaissance or “rebirth” is a cultural movement that started in Italy during the late 14th century and expanded to the early 17th century. The Renaissance was a bridge that allowed Western Europe to move from the medieval era to the modern era. Renaissance later spread to other parts of Europe. Advances in technology allowed art and architecture to flourish during the Renaissance era. Cities like Florence in Italy saw a spike in artists and architects who have changed from mere paid skilled laborers to professional artists.
The word renaissance means “rebirth” or “reconstruction”, The Renaissance era was a time for the revival of learning. The Renaissance took place during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; it was a period in which artistic, social, scientific, and political thought turned in new directions.