Chapter Nine:
Charlemagne and the
Rise of Medieval Culture
Culture and Values, 6th. Ed.
Cunningham and Reich
Charlemagne:
Ruler and Diplomat

Papal Coronation
–
Leo III, Christmas 800
– Revival of Western Roman Empire

Feudal Administration
–
Legal decrees
– Bureaucratic system
– Literacy

Foreign Relations
–
Byzantines, Muslims
Charlemagne:
Economic Developments

Stabilized the currency
–
Denier
Trade Fairs
 Jewish merchants
 Trade Routes
 Import / Export Relationships

–
Iron Broadswords
Learning
in the Time of Charlemagne
“Palace School” at Aachen
 Scholar-teachers
 Curriculum

–
Trivium, quadrivium
– Mastery of texts

Text reform
–

Literary revival = Liturgical revival
Literacy as prerequisite for worship
Learning
in the Time of Charlemagne

Alcuin of York
–
Sacramentary
– Corrected errors in the Vulgate Bible
– Developed Frankish school system

Literacy and Women
–
Dhouda
– Illuminated manuscripts
Benedictine Monasticism

Early monasticism
–
Varying monastic lifestyles
– No predominate rule

The Rule of St. Benedict
“Magna Carta of monasticism”
– Poverty, stability, obedience, chastity
– Balance of prayer, work, and study
– Horarium
–
Women and the Monastic Life

Scholastica (d. 543)
–
St. Benedict’s sister
Brigid of Ireland (d. 525)
 Hilda, abbess of Whitby (614-680)
 Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)

–
Writer, painter, illustrator, musician, critic,
preacher
– Scivias, Physica, Causae et Curae,
Symphonia, Ordo Virtutum
Monasticism
and Gregorian Chant

Monasteries and Opus Dei
–
Centrality of liturgy
– Lectio divina

Development of sacred music
–
Gregorian Chant
– Ambrosian music
– Mozarabic chant
– Frankish chant
Monasticism
and Gregorian Chant
Gregorian chant and Carolingian reform
 Gregorian characteristics

–
–
–
–
–
Monophonic
Melismatic
Acapella
Cantus planus
neums
Liturgical Music
and the Rise of Drama

The Liturgical Trope
–
Verbal elaborations of textual content
– Added to the long melismas
– Aid in memorization
– Origin of drama in the West
 Quem
Quæritis
The Morality Play: Everyman
Links liturgical and secular drama
 Allegorical, moralistic

–

Instructs for moral conversion
Religious themes
–
Life as a pilgrimage
– The inevitability of death (memento mori)
– Faith vs. Free Will

Liturgical overtones
Nonliturgical Drama

Hroswitha (d. 1000)
–
Wrote in Latin
– Roman stylistic influences
– Poetry, legends, plays
 Theophilus
 The
–
Conversion of the Harlot Thaïs
Heavily moralistic to educate and convert
The Legend of Charlemagne:
Song of Roland

Charlemagne canonized 1165
–

Reliquaries and commemoratives
Epic poem
–
–
Charlemagne’s battle with the Basques (778)
Chansons de geste, chansons d’histoire
Oral tradition, jongleurs
 Military and religious ideals

–

11th c. martial virtues and chivalric code
Anti-Muslim bias
The Visual Arts:
The Illuminated Book
Carolingian manuscripts on parchment
 Gospel Book of Charlemagne

–

Utrecht Psalter
–

Masterpiece of the Carolingian Renaissance
Dagulf Psalter
–

Roman, Byzantine, Celtic styles
Carved ivory book covers
Carolingian miniscule
Charlemagne’s Palace at Aachen
Kingdom modeled on ancient Rome
 Palace

–
–

Chapel
–
–
–

Large royal hall, lavishly decorated
Joined to chapel by a long gallery
Church of San Vitale (Ravenna) as model
Altar to the Savior (liturgical services)
Chapel to the Virgin (reliquary)
Charlemagne’s Throne
–
“…this most wise Solomon.”
The Carolingian Monastery

Monastery as “miniature civic center”
–
Complexity of function and design
– Center of life for rural populations

Saint Gall plan
–
Basilica style
– Designed to house 120 monks, 170 serfs
The Romanesque Style
Large, “Roman-looking” architecture
 Influenced by travel, expansion

–

Pilgrimages
Heavy stone arches
–
Larger, more spacious interiors
– Fireproof stone and masonry roofs
– Church of Saint Sernin in Toulouse
The Romanesque Style

Exterior decoration (sculpture)
–
Lack of interior light
– Portal (doorway)
– Jamb, capital, trumeau
– Tympanum (mandorla, archivolts)
 Church
of Sainte Madeleine at Vézelay
Chapter Nine: Discussion Questions



Explain the function of the Song of Roland as both
religious and political propaganda during the
eleventh and twelfth centuries. What values are
extolled within the text that would serve religious
and political leaders as they shape their culture? Do
we, as a culture, subscribe to these same values
today? Why or why not?
Why was Charlemagne so interested in developing
literacy? Explain his motives and methods for
establishing schools and supporting scholars.
Describe the role of the liturgical trope in the
development of drama in the West. For example,
how does one begin with the Quem Quæritis trope
and arrive at Everyman? Explain the evolution of the
art form.