7 Charlemagne 7Charlemagne’s program for meeting his royal religious
responsibilities was formulated in a series of synods made
up of both clerics and laymen. The suggested reforms
focused on strengthening the church’s hierarchical struc-
ture, clarifying the powers and responsibilities of the
hierarchy, elevating the quality of the clergy, protecting
and expanding resources, standardizing liturgical prac-
tices, intensifying understanding of the basic tenets of the
faith and improvement of morals, and rooting out pagan-
ism. As the reform movement progressed, its scope
broadened to vest the ruler with authority to discipline
clerics, to assert control over ecclesiastical property, to
propagate the faith, and to define orthodox doctrine.
Charlemagne’s reign was also noted for a variety of
activities that together produced a cultural renovatio (or
restoration), later called the Carolingian Renaissance.
The prime goal of Charlemagne’s royal cultural policy was
the extension and improvement of Latin literacy, which
required the expansion of the educational system and the
production of books containing the essentials of Christian
Latin culture. A royal library was created, containing
works that permitted a deeper exploration of Latin learn-
ing and the Christian faith. A royal scriptorium—a writing
room in monastic communities used by scribes copying
manuscripts—was established. This played an important
role in propagating the Carolingian minuscule, a new
writing system that made copying and reading easier.
Charlemagne’s court circle composed poetry, historiog-
raphy, and religious writings—works that exemplified
advanced levels of intellectual activity and linguistic
expertise.
The antecedent to Charlemagne being named emperor
of the Romans occurred in 799, when Pope Leo III was
physically attacked by a faction of Romans who believed