The is a well-known letter addressed by Emperor

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 ...

to Abbot

Baugulf of Fulda Baugulf (died 8 July 815) was a prominent Benedictine abbot. He was the second abbot of the Abbey of Fulda in present-day Germany. He served from 779 to 802 CE and was succeeded by Ratgar. Despite his contemporary prominence, the twenty-three year ...

, probably written sometimes in late 780s to 800s (decade), although the exact date is still debatable. The letter is a very important witness to the Carolingian educational reforms during 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 ...

from late 8th century to 9th century. The letter shows Emperor

's interest in promoting learning and education within his empire. The oldest existing copy of this letter comes from the 8th century. Another version dates back to the 11th century. The older of the two surviving manuscripts is located at Wuerzburg and offers the original text addressed to Abbot Baugulf. The more recent manuscript (Metz, bibl mun fourth. o nr 226,.. SAEC XI, burned in 1945), whose text is preserved by older editions, is the revised version offered for Angilram, who was charged with the further dissemination. The is the earliest, and one of the most important, sources promoting the advance of educational reforms throughout Charlemagne's Empire. It was followed by the more detailed . In the letter, Charlemagne expresses his concern about the literacy of monks and priests, many of whom were illiterate or only partially literate. Charlemagne expresses concern that their poor literacy may lead them to make errors or interpret the bible and scriptures incorrectly.

Authorship

The well-known letter is addressed by Emperor

, also known as Charles I. Charlemagne became the King of the Franks in 768 and the King of Italy in 774. He would later become the Emperor of the Carolingian Empire. Charlemagne carried on his father

Pepin the Short the Short (french: Pépin le Bref; – 24 September 768), also called the Younger (german: Pippin der Jüngere), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian to become king. The younger was the son of ...

's policy with the papacy and viewed himself as its protector. Charlemagne's admiration for learning led to his interest in scholarship. He encouraged his children to be well-educated and studied under

Peter of Pisa Peter of Pisa ( la, Petrus Pisanus; it, Pietro da Pisa; 744 – 799 AD), also known as Petrus Grammaticus, was an Italian grammarian, deacon and poet in the Early Middle Ages. In 776, after Charlemagne's conquest of the Lombard Kingdom, Peter was ...

Alcuin of York Alcuin of York (; la, Flaccus Albinus Alcuinus; 735 – 19 May 804) – also called Ealhwine, Alhwin, or Alchoin – was a scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student o ...

, and

Einhard Einhard (also Eginhard or Einhart; la, E(g)inhardus; 775 – 14 March 840) was a Frankish scholar and courtier. Einhard was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne and his son Louis the Pious; his main work is a biography of Charlemagne, the ''Vita ...

. Charlemagne's greatest weakness however, according to Einhard was his inability to write. Even his ability to read has been called into question. This letter was presumably written by Alcuin of York, not by Charlemagne himself. Alcuin was Charlemagne's teacher for rhetoric, logic, and astronomy. Alcuin wrote several theological and philosophical treatises. The director of the palace school at Aachen at the time, he was encouraged by Charlemagne to introduce

Carolingian minuscule Carolingian minuscule or Caroline minuscule is a script which developed as a calligraphic standard in the medieval European period so that the Latin alphabet of Jerome's Vulgate Bible could be easily recognized by the literate class from one reg ...

, a script to standardize the Latin alphabet to be recognized by literate classes from one region to another. The letter was argued to contain literary elements that were Alcuinisms, indicating Alcuin's heavy influence.Luitpold Wallach. “Charlemagne's De litteris colendis and Alcuin: A Diplomatic-Historical Study”. Speculum, vol. 26, No. 2 (Apr., 1951), pp. 228-305. Medieval Academy of America

Content/Summary

is the second Carolingian document to urge the formation of schools. The scope of teaching advocated suggests a broader view than that in the . Here the text embraces all ancient learning and complete understand of the Bible as a primary goal.Susan Forscher Weiss, Russell E, Cynthia J. Cyrus. Music Education in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Indiana University Press, 2010 In the letter, Charlemagne express his views on knowledge and conduct, stating that because knowledge precedes conduct, people must study about the goals he wishes to accomplish without making any errors. Errors should be shunned by men and avoided at all cost so that these chosen people can become the servants of truth. Charlemagne refers the mind and the tongue to be uneducated on account of the neglect of study and therefore unable to express the truth in letters. Charlemagne worries that lack of literate skills in monks and priests at the time may lead to a lack of understanding of the Holy Scriptures. Errors of understanding are a greater danger than errors of speech because misunderstanding of the Holy Scriptures can result in divine punishment, such as

damnation Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite th ...

. Charlemagne encourages these soldiers of the church to never neglect the study of letters in order to correctly uncover the meanings of Scripture. Those who teach letters are chosen for this because of their ability in learning and instructing others. Charlemagne's view on teaching shows his concerns about the education of monks and priests at the time and advocated the need for better understanding of the original source, the Bible. At the end of the letter Charlemagne wishes for the wide spread of this letter to all the monasteries and into the hands of fellow-bishops.

The wisdom for understanding the Holy Scriptures might be much less than it rightly ought to be. And we all know well that, although errors of speech are dangerous, far more dangerous are errors of the understanding. --
Emperor 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 Emp ...
,

Background information

's views on education displayed in this letter, among many works, encourage Carolingian schoolmasters to seize the opportunity to teach many ancient works, books such as Martianus Capella's and Boethius's .Charles M. Atkinson. The Critical Nexus: Tone-System, Mode, and Notation in Early Medieval Music. Oxford University Press, 2009 The letter was written at a time that saw the organization and transformation of the Frankish Kingdom into a large Christian state. The new Christian culture within the Carolingian realm was acquired with relative ease because late-antique Christian writers suggested various ways to integrate secular arts into Christian education.Nils Holger Petersen, Claus Clüver, Nicilas Bell. Signs of Change: Transformation of Christian Traditions and Their Representation in the Arts, 1000-2000. New York, 2004 Charlemagne wanted to control and oversee a strong relationship between the states of learning and the Christian faith. , along with , is a statement of the king's religious faith and obligations. After the expansion of the Carolingian realm, Charlemagne recognized the need for reform to promote the correct use of Latin language and correct understanding of Christian faith and text. This was a way to enhance Frankish identity. Literacy was required and rewarded during Charlemagne's reign.

Alcuin Alcuin of York (; la, Flaccus Albinus Alcuinus; 735 – 19 May 804) – also called Ealhwine, Alhwin, or Alchoin – was a scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student o ...

, the suspected author of the letter, expressed views on the intrinsic Christian value of the liberal arts that were not widely accepted by many. However, Alcuin influenced some of the most sophisticated Carolingian thinkers of the first half of the 9th century. The original letter by Charlemagne was likely written to Baugulf, but the text would reach Baugulf at a later time after the written date. The ability to read and write was not very common in the Frankish Kingdom during the late 8th century, and Charlemagne wanted to create an education system to provide training for future administrators in both sacred and secular realms.

, along with

Paulinus of Aquileia Saint Paulinus II ( 726 – 11 January 802 or 804 AD) was a priest, theologian, poet, and one of the most eminent scholars of the Carolingian Renaissance. From 787 to his death, he was the Patriarch of Aquileia. He participated in a number of synod ...

, Theodulf of Orleans was one of many intellectuals invited by Charlemagne to implement the king's program of education reform. Alcuin was appointed to take over the direction of the palace school. Alcuin's program is reflected by his established program at St. Martin of Tours, where Alcuin put emphasis on writing, reading, and grammar; elements the Epistola de litteris colendis heavily advocated. The existence of the palace school has been called into question.McKitterick, Rosamond. Charlemagne : The Formation of a European Identity. Cambridge University Press. 2008

Dating the Letter

Many historians make the assumption that the letter was sent directly to an unknown archbishop based on the mentions of the co-bishops, but the abbot could very well be the actual recipient of this letter. The letter belongs to the tradition of Anglo-Saxon humanism. The request at the end of the letter extends to monks as lower clerics. Luitpold Wallach argues that coincidental similarities with the contained in this letter suggest 794 as the earliest possible year when this letter to Baugulf was written. The letter is also paralleled by a letter written by Alcuin to Fulda after 800. Because of Alcuin's letter to Fulda from Tours at a later date, this would mean that ’De litteris colendis’ could not have been written at a time when Alcuin was already at St Martin's at Tours. More specifically, the letter addressing Baugulf is most likely written between June of 794, the period between the Synod of Frankfurt, and 796, Alcuin's arrival as abbot of St Martain at Tours. Another possible date of the Letter was as early as 784/5.

References

* Walter Berschin : Biography and Epoch in the Latin Middle Ages. Volume 3: Carolingian biography. 750-920 AD. Anton Hiersemann, Stuttgart, 1991, {{ISBN, 3-7772-9102-1, pp. 101–113 ( Sources and Studies on Latin Philology of the Middle Ages 10). * Thomas Martin: Remarks on the Epistola de litteris colendis. In: . Archive for diplomatics 31, 1985, ISSN 0066-6297, pp. 227–272. * Edmund E. Stengel : Deed Book of the monastery of Fulda. band 1, subband 2 ., the time of Abbot Baugulf NG Elwert, Marburg, 1956, pp. 246–254, No. 166 ( Publications of the Historical Commission of Hesse and Waldeck 10, 1, 2), (authoritative edition). *Luitpold Wallach: Charlemagne and Alcuin's De litteris colendis. In: Alcuin and Charlemagne. Studies in Carolingian History and Literature. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1959, pp. 202ff. ( Cornell Studies in Classical Philology 32, ZDB-ID 844700-7 ).

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