• In addition to these military conquests, Charlemagne solidified
the new Roman Empire by attention to cultural realities in what is
called the “Carolingian renaissance.”
o Politically, he extended his power and influence through the use
of personal delegates and the issuing of laws from his capital
city of Aachen, the westernmost city of present-day Germany.o Educationally, Charlemagne established a palace school that
sponsored an educational reform and drew such scholars as the
great Alcuin. This was the real beginning of “chapter schools”
throughout Europe, where young men could be prepared for
royal and religious service.o Religiously, Charlemagne reciprocated the patronage of
the papacy by a thorough commitment to Catholicism. He
sponsored ecclesiastical reforms, supported the Latin Mass
(Eucharist), and published canon law.o In short, the new emperor of the West took over all the
privileges and responsibilities of patronage as it was practiced
by the first emperors of Rome.Manorialism and Feudalism
• Within this new political framework, a new form of society
emerged that has been called “feudalism” or “manorialism.” This
form persisted from the 9th to the 15th centuries in Europe.
• The term “manorialism” refers to the character of an agriculturally
based economy in which the basic unit was the demesne (estate
or property).
o The system possibly had roots in the ancient Roman villas.
The manor was the main building at the center of fields that
produced crops for the occupants and for sale.o The “lord” of the manor had complete authority within and
over the estate, supervising the labor and collecting from
the crops and livestock of those in direct dependence on