Renaissance and Renewal in the Ninth Century

Catalog description

The European Early Middle Ages may seem an unlikely place to find a renaissance. In recent centuries, the era has been labeled foreign and backward -- a “Dark Age” of systemic violence, brutal social injustice, and intellectual and artistic poverty. In reality, however, it was a world of vibrant artistic flourishing, social and political innovation, and ingenuity. In this course, students will study key texts from the long ninth century, which saw a proliferation of scholarship and art under the patronage of the legendary emperor Charlemagne and his heirs. Carolingian courts became centers of learning, bringing the finest thinkers of Europe together in conversation, recalling the aesthetics and values of the ancient world while also forging new artistic styles and modes of scientific thought. Carolingian rulers engaged diplomatically with the world beyond—not just England and Scandinavia beyond the North Sea, but also the eastern Atlantic, North Africa, and the Levant. Immersing themselves in this world, students will consider how the Carolingian “renaissance” paved the way for the inventions and revolutions of the later Middle Ages and beyond.