Most cultural movements aren’t grass roots—they’re top down.
Charlemagne’s cultural rebirth, the “Carolingian renaissance,” proved how real cultural change is planned and executed by society’s elites…🧵
In the late 8th and early 9th century, Charlemagne ruled vast lands from Northern Spain to the North Sea.
Charlemagne was a skilled administrator, but his newfound empire had problems.
Though the empire was flourishing economically—driven in part by a slave trade created by Charlemagne’s conquests—the centuries since Rome’s fall took a toll on the cultural development of the West.
Latin literacy was falling, a blow to the administrative and scholarly classes since Latin was essential for empire-wide communication.
Likewise, an uneducated clergy had difficulty interpreting and preaching on the Vulgate Bible, the universal biblical translation of the time.
On an aesthetic level, there were no cohesive architectural or artistic styles that marked his lands as a bonafide empire—empires needed grand building projects and beautiful art.
In short, the Frankish Kingdom wasn’t the beacon of culture that Charlemagne wanted it to be.
He devised a plan to create a “cultural rebirth.” He looked to ages past—to the high cultures of Greece and Rome—as models.
No scholar or artist himself, he needed to gather the brightest minds to pull off his cultural rejuvenation.
He brought in scholars from all across Europe: Peter of Pisa, a grammarian and poet, became Charlemagne’s Latin tutor; Paulinus of Aquileia, a prominent theologian, spearheaded the “Christianization” of the empire; and Paul the Deacon became the kingdom’s most eminent historian.
But the main architect behind Charlemagne's new renaissance was undoubtedly Alcuin of York, who was described in Einhard’s Vita Karoli Magni (Life of Charlemagne) as “The most learned man anywhere to be found."
Alcuin became one of the king’s closest advisors.
A British scholar and cleric, he saw himself as sowing seeds for a brighter future through education:
“In the morning, at the height of my powers, I sowed the seed in Britain, now in the evening when my blood is growing cold I am still sowing in France, hoping both will grow.”
Two documents penned by Alcuin, the “Admonitio Generalis” and “De Litteris Colendis,” laid out Charlemagne’s plan of enculturation. His task was twofold:
-Christianize the kingdom by reforming/disciplining the clergy
-Educational reform through the establishment of new schools
Culture, Charlemagne envisioned, would flow downstream from a religious and educated court literati—the “intellectual” class. It was a rigidly top-down approach.
And for the most part, it worked.
Religious texts were made more accessible, deepening Christianity’s foothold throughout the kingdom.
Schools taught religious music, singing, and psalms which encouraged the spread of the faith, and a focus on grammar made it so religious texts could be revised and edited.
There was an overall increase in literature, law, music, architecture, visual art, and liturgical reforms.
Newly established schools became effective centers of education, and new editions and copies of classic works, both Christian and pagan, were produced.
A new style of art emerged; a unique blend of classical mediterranean art forms and northern elements came to be known as “Carolingian Art.”
Defined by a lavish and dignified style, it was a precursor to Romanesque and Gothic art that later dominated Europe.
Illumination and ornate metalwork adorned manuscripts while frescoes and mosaics became popular in Churches and palaces.
Christian imagery was a recurring theme in Carolingian art—a visual reminder of Charlemagne’s mission to create a unified Christian empire.
Architectural projects also boomed during the Carolingian period.
Between 768 and 855, a whopping 27 new cathedrals, 417 monastic buildings and 100 royal residences were built. During Charlemagne's reign alone, 16 cathedrals, 232 monasteries and 65 palaces were constructed.
Lost building techniques were incorporated into new projects. An ancient architectural treatise written by Vitruvius was found, providing a template for stone-building techniques.
Thus, new stone structures were built in northern Europe for the first time since Rome’s presence.
Roman basilicas and triumphal arches were used as templates for Carolingian buildings, though the Franks put their own twist on them.
The Palatine Chapel at Aachen reflects late Roman building techniques with its vaults and arches.
Charlemagne’s efforts to revitalize the Church and educational institutions had a lasting effect, producing countless scholars and theologians.
Today, Carolingian cathedrals and palaces still stand as reminders of this mini-renaissance of the 8th and 9th centuries.
The Carolingian renaissance is a reminder that cultural developments are so often implemented hierarchically.
Though it’s tempting to envision a world that’s shaped by organic movements, real civilizational change usually requires a green light from the top.
If you enjoyed this thread and would like to join the mission of promoting the beauty of western tradition, kindly repost the first post (linked below) and consider following: @thinkingwest
Carolingian architecture wasn’t as flashy as later movements like Gothic or Baroque, but it had a distinct, almost charming style that set it apart from older Roman construction.
It was the template for a new civilizational look.
A last note on Charlemagne: he never actually learned to read or write despite surrounding himself with so many scholars. He simply could not master it in his old age.
He never achieved philosopher-king status, but his people benefited greatly from his educational reforms.
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Alexander the Great’s tomb has been missing for centuries. Over 140 official attempts have been made to locate it. All have failed.
But one rogue historian thinks he’s finally found it.
He claims everyone's been looking in the wrong place…🧵
Alexander’s body wasn’t always missing. We know that figures like Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Augustus visited his tomb in Alexandria during the 1st century BC.
But somewhere along the way it disappears from the record…
By the time St. John Chrysostom visited Alexandria in 400 AD, he was unable to locate the tomb and said of Alexander "his tomb even his own people know not.”
There are a few mentions of the tomb afterward, but nothing reliable, and as of today no one knows where it is.
Early Christians had a complete Bible by the 4th century—but that’s not the only thing they were reading to deepen their faith.
Here’s what books the early Church read besides the Bible🧵
1. The Didache, Anonymous, 1st cent.
The Didache is a brief discourse that contains moral and ritualistic teachings—a handbook for a Christian life.
It’s speculated the apostles wrote it, and contains the formulas for baptism and eucharist that are still used today.
2. The Shepherd of Hermas, Hermas, 2nd cent.
St. Iranaeus considered it to be canonical scripture. Though it missed the cut, it’s a fascinating work that centers around the life of a former slave who's given mystical visions and parables informing him how to live a faithful life
At least, that's what the “divine right of kings” doctrine claims.
To modern ears it might seem absurd, but it actually has Biblical roots…🧵 (thread)
Simply put, the divine right of kings is a political/religious doctrine that asserts kings are granted authority by God.
In its strongest form, monarchs are not subject to the will of the people, parliament, or any other human institution.
The doctrine was formalized with 16th and 17th century thinkers like Bishop Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, who claimed “the royal throne is not the throne of a man, but the throne of God himself.”
But kings had been claiming divine authority since Biblical times…
Many people blame the so-called “dark ages” on Christianity — they claim the Church was an overbearing force that stifled innovation.
But in the chaos after the fall of Rome, the Church was actually a *civilizing* force that reintroduced order...🧵
The idea of the “Dark Ages” first emerged with the 14th c. scholar Petrarch. He contrasted the “darkness” of the years after the Roman Empire’s collapse with the “light” of the Classical age, led by Greece and early Rome.
Cardinal Baronius further popularized the idea in the 1600's when looking back to the turn of the millennium. However, he used the Latin “saeculum obscurum” in a limited sense for the scarcity of writings between the Carolingian Empire (888 AD) and the Gregorian Reform (1046 AD).
You’re at the bottom rung of society—bound to the land with limited social mobility…
But life isn’t all bad. Here’s what it looks like🧵
Even compared to the glorified Roman Empire, the average “Dark Age” peasant likely saw lower taxes, more freedom, and a weaker ruling class under the Manorial system—a type of Feudalism where peasants worked the land under a lord.
In this system, the manor was the epicenter of rural life, often surrounded by several hundred acres, hovels, a church, and community grain mill.
The lord of the manor was usually a bishop or abbot of the local church, or a wealthy noble.