Charlemagne's Empire as a Renaissance
Strong and Devout Leadership Created Enduring Institutions
A major question in history regarding Charlemagne, the 7th Century Frankish king, was whether his reign deserves to be called a renaissance. Much of what Charlemagne accomplished until his death in AD 814 was noteworthy and furthered the caused of “Western Civilization,” notably the impact of Christian institutions on recently converted barbarian peoples. Above all, under Charlemagne order was restored to a hitherto unstable region.
Charlemagne and the Catholic Church
The culmination of Charlemagne’s relationship with the papacy occurred on Christmas Day, AD 800, when Pope Leo III placed a crown on the king’s head and acclaimed him “crowned by God, great and peace-giving emperor…” The alliance was useful to both parties, although all reports of Charlemagne point to a sincere piety.
The papacy, ostracized by the Byzantine East, needed a strong European ally. Additionally, with Charlemagne’s victory over the Lombards, begun earlier under Pippin, in northern Italy, the pope gained valuable land, held by Rome as the Papal States until the 19th Century unification of Italy.
Charlemagne supported Catholic missionary endeavors beyond the Rhine River, subduing the pagan Saxons three times before building permanent monasteries for the education of the newly converted, albeit at the point of a sword. Centers of monastic learning, such as at Fulda, were highly regarded and endowed by Charlemagne.
At his capital, Aix-la-Chapelle (or Aachen in the German), Charlemagne raised a cathedral and established the first cathedral school, staffed by monks of the Benedictine order. He also instituted the payment of a tithe to financially support the growth and expansion of the church.
Consolidating Power within the Empire
Charlemagne’s military adventures were many. Although entering Spain with the intent of driving the Muslims from Europe was not successful, he managed to contain Islamic expansionism into Europe. He chased the Magyars across the Danube, the Avars out of Austria, and battled the Vikings throughout his reign. Moving his court periodically, he was able to spread the costs of maintaining a court among his nobles.
An efficient bureaucracy of upper and lesser nobility acted as royal agents while Charlemagne sent his missi dominici to report on the actions of his counts and margraves, nobles charged with supervising different areas of the empire. This early form of auditing proved highly successful and added to the organization of ruling the vast domains.
Charlemagne’s capitularies represented royal decrees that supplemented existing local law. These decrees also included the responsibilities of bishops. Charlemagne fully believed that he ruled by the grace of God and, as such, had an obligation to oversee matters within the church. This early relationship, as perceived by Charlemagne, would set precedents in later centuries that pitted the papacy against imperial prerogative power.
Commercial and Cultural Revival
In the wake of the fall of Rome and the subsequent invasions of various barbarian entities, the western provinces of the once mighty empire had suffered. Additionally, trade and commercial patterns were altered with the early Muslim conquests of North Africa, islands in the Mediterranean, and the Iberian Peninsula. A flourishing wine economy was devastated only because Muslims disapproved of alcohol and refused to trade in the product.
Writing had declined as well, notably because serious draughts had affected papyrus growth in areas along the Mediterranean. In Charlemagne’s Europe, papyrus was replaced with vellum, although the papacy continued to use papyrus for years.
Charlemagne’s “renaissance” reintroduced reading and writing, although scholars debate how literate Charlemagne himself was. Education was expanded, albeit for the upper nobility and, of course, church institutions. Important manuscripts, including books from antiquity, were carefully transcribed in monasteries to serve posterity.
Charlemagne was blessed with a long life and a long reign. This, no doubt, played a significant role in his ability to create lasting institutions, if not a lasting empire. He is still regarded as “the great” or, in German, “Karl der Grosse.”
Sources:
- Pierre Riche, Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne, Translated by Jo Ann McNamara (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1978)
- Brian Tierney and Sidney Painter, Western Europe in the Middle Ages 300-1475, 5th Ed (McGraw-Hill, Inc. 1992)
Castle in Southern France
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