The ' is a collection of

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...

known as a

capitulary A capitulary (Medieval Latin ) was a series of legislative or administrative acts emanating from the Frankish court of the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties, especially that of Charlemagne, the first emperor of the Romans in the west since t ...

issued by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

in 789, which covers educational and ecclesiastical reform within the

Frankish kingdom Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...

. Capitularies were used in the Frankish kingdom during the Carolingian dynasty by government and administration bodies and covered a variety of topics, sorted into chapters. ' is actually just one of many Charlemagne's capitularies that outlined his desire for a well-governed, disciplined Christian Frankish kingdom. The reforms issued in these capitularies by Charlemagne during the late 8th century reflect the cultural revival known as the

Carolingian Renaissance The Carolingian Renaissance was the first of three medieval renaissances, a period of cultural activity in the Carolingian Empire. It occurred from the late 8th century to the 9th century, taking inspiration from the State church of the Roman Emp ...

Charlemagne and his desire for reform

Charlemagne (742–814) ruled from 771 until his death, and the Frankish kingdom experienced a period of stability during his reign. This was arguably because of his strict and efficient moral and judicial reform and governance, enforced with capitularies like '. Indeed, ' was just one step in Charlemagne's goal of Christian institutions, political structures, and subjects within his Frankish kingdom, and it would be continually adapted and reinforced to meet his objectives. When Charlemagne came to power, he had two goals; territorial expansion and the conversion of all Franks to Christianity, including those recently added to the kingdom. Charlemagne's desire to extend his empire was inseparable from his desire to extend Christianity, so the conquering of other kingdoms was a method often used. This Frankish expansion into other realms and their contrast with those people and their religions, for example the arrival of

Islam in Spain Spain is a Christian majority country, with Islam being a minority religion, practised mostly by the immigrants and their descendants from Muslim majority countries. Due to the secular nature of the Spanish constitution, Muslims are free to ...

, has to be considered when considering legal and religious reforms such as ' and the fever in which they were carried out. Charlemagne was the champion of orthodoxy, and to address his perceived failings of the church and the moral and spiritual health of the Franks, he set out to reform the church and his subjects with the capitulary '.

Reforms

In the ', Charlemagne pronounced that he was a "new

Josiah Josiah ( or ) or Yoshiyahu; la, Iosias was the 16th king of Judah (–609 BCE) who, according to the Hebrew Bible, instituted major religious reforms by removing official worship of gods other than Yahweh. Josiah is credited by most biblical s ...

", and responsible for the moral health and salvation of his subjects, highlighting Charlemagne's commitment to the

Christianization Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...

of the Frankish kingdom. He sought to achieve this by reforming the church in pursuit of the moral reform and discipline of the clergy and other ecclesiastical members with the expectation they would lead their followers by example. He also pursued educational reform, requiring monasteries and cathedrals to establish schools to educate boys to read and write in order to make the Bible and other religious texts more accessible and in turn broadening and deepening the spread of Christianity. The schools would also teach religious music, singing and psalms to encourage the spread of the faith, as well as grammar so that religious texts could be revised and edited. To achieve these goals Charlemagne consulted with clerical advisors and rulings from earlier council decisions such as the Dionysio-Hadriana collection of canon law to draw up the 82 chapters of the ''.'' Chapters addressed the expected behavior, responsibilities, and compliance of all members of society. The clergy and monks were charged with the establishment of schools, guidelines were given regarding the basic knowledge expected of all Christians, and stipulations were made concerning weights and measures. Charlemagne also championed the use of Roman liturgy, and ordained the memorization and use of Roman chants in the '.

Distribution and reception

Capitularies were sent to ', or officials supervising the administration of different parts of the Frankish kingdom, for their local enforcement. The ' were to represent and watch out for the king's royal interests, and report back to him. The ' would compile books from parts of different capitularies and other laws and religious texts indicating what was important to them and what they found useful in governing their districts. The wide distribution and acceptance of ' is traceable by the large number of surviving manuscripts from the books of the ' that include parts of ', found across the entire Frankish kingdom, showing up as early as the late 8th century. The reception and implementation of ' is also tangible by examining the effect it had on the Carolingian Renaissance, with Charlemagne's edicts of moral reform spurring on the resurgence of the education of the arts.

Role in the Carolingian Renaissance

Charlemagne's early capitularies such as ' were the foundation for the Carolingian Renaissance, establishing his religious and educational aspirations for the kingdom. Charlemagne's most significant contribution to the Carolingian Renaissance was the revival of learning, especially among the clergy, most of whom were barely literate. Before the surge of education following the ' and subsequent Carolingian Renaissance, it was difficult for the Frankish people to connect with Christianity and the church. Peasant life was very hard; the people were illiterate and Latin, the language of the church, was not their native language, making Christianity and the Bible difficult to access. Nobles also were largely uneducated and uncultured, with few devoted Christians among them. Only the clergy were consistent in having some level of education, and thus they had the best understanding and exposure to the Bible and the full extent of Christianity. The schools, which the ''Admonitio'' ordered established by the monasteries and cathedrals, began a tradition of higher learning in Carolingian Europe, leading the revival known as the Carolingian Renaissance. The fulfillment of ' meant that the study of language, rhetoric and grammar in these institutions, as well as the standardizing of writing scripture and Latin, was undertaken in order to make religious texts and books accessible to the clergy, as well as their correction and standardization. However this strengthened all forms of Carolingian literature, and book production, as well as developments in law, historical writing, and uses of poetry all flourished in these schools. In fact, the capitularies themselves, and the level of language they use, are examples of the increasing importance of writing within the Frankish kingdom. As well as language, the ' ordered other arts such as numbers and arithmetic, ratios, taxes, measure, architecture, geometry, and astrology to be taught, leading to developments in each field and their application within society. Charlemagne pushed for an educated clergy who could help lead reform, because it was his belief that the study of arts would aid them in understanding sacred texts, which they could then pass on to their followers. During the Carolingian Renaissance, Charlemagne unified religious practices and culture within his realm, creating a Christian kingdom, and ultimately unifying his empire.

Critical Edition

* Hubert Mordek,

Klaus Zechiel-Eckes Klaus Zechiel-Eckes (12 May 1959 in Pforzheim – 23 February 2010 in Cologne) was a German historian and medievalist. Klaus Zechiel-Eckes graduated high school in 1978. From 1979 to 1990 he studied history and Romance and Middle Latin philology i ...

, Michael Glatthaar (eds.): ''Die Admonitio generalis Karls des Großen'' (= ''Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Fontes iuris Germanici antiqui in usum scholarum separatim editi.'' vol. 16). Hahn, Hannover 2012, ISBN 978-3-7752-2201-3
Digital version
ritical edition, with German translation.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{cite book , last=McKitterick , first=Rosamond , author-link=Rosamond McKitterick , year=2008 , title=Charlemagne: the Formation of a European Identity , publisher=

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

, location=Cambridge , isbn=978-0-521-88672-7 Charlemagne 8th-century Christianity 789 8th-century Latin books 8th century in Francia