How did Charlemagne use his political power to affect the Carolingian Empire’s artwork?

Everyone probably knows about the Italian Renaissance. The one with the Mona Lisa, Leonardo Da Vinci, and the shift away from the Christian Church. However, very few even think to acknowledge the Renaissance of the Carolingian Empire, where knowledge and Christianity were able to flourish all because of Charlemagne, a guy who struggled to write. Charlemagne was born to Bertrada of Laon and Pepin the Short, King of the Franks. After Pepin’s death, the Frankish Kingdom was split between Charlemagne and his brother Carloman. Charlemagne then took control of the kingdom and became the ruler of the Franks after Carolman died. During his time as the ruler of the Franks and the Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne was able to expand his empire, reintroduce culture, and spread Christianity. This resulted in a thriving political region that allowed art to flourish. In this paper power structure is defined as the way Charlemagne organized his empire. Charlemagne used his political powers to achieve his goal to unite the Carolingian Empire under Christianity, which allowed the society to create unique artwork. 

Using his wealth and power as king, Charlemagne used his wealth and power to establish Roman influence, which was demonstrated through the Caroligion’s art and architecture. When the Western Roman Empire fell, the people of the Western Church looked to the Byzantines for protection.  However, as of that time, the Byzantines were getting attacked by various lands. This guided the Western Churches’ focus of power on the Frankish emperor for protection. This emperor was Charlemagne’s father and after his death, Charlemagne took on the power. Crowned as the Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne often wanted to associate himself with previous Roman emperors. When ruling over his empire, Charlemagne often looked up to Constantine’s ruling of Rome/Byzantine, because Constantine was the first Christian emperor in Rome/Byzantine, as well as one of the most influential. One way he ruled like Constantine was by being a strong educator. By using Constantine’s rule as an example, Charlemagne sought to bring back classics into his empire. He created the Carolingian Minuscules, which allowed classical books to be copied more legibly. Charlemagne also developed Scriptoria, where monks and other people could come and copy books, which allowed more classical texts. Despite many various Roman emperors, Charlemagne wanted to follow in the footsteps of Constantine because he was the first Christian Roman emperor who brought Christianity into his empire. Charlemagne viewed himself as Constantine, ruling like him. This led to the idea of how Charlemagne viewed Constantine’s rule as a way to enforce strong Christianity in his empire. Using his wealth and power as a king, Charlemagne was able to organize his empire in a way that classical texts were common throughout the Carolingian Empire. If Charlemagne wasn’t a king with power over various people, he would have lacked the power to revive the classics. However, Charlemagne was able to use his power over the church and scholars to help the revival of the classics. By using his wealth and power Charlemagne was able to enforce a strong Roman identity within his empire.  Charlemagne exercised his power to create a Christian identity within his empire. To do this, he followed previous Christian Roman/Byzantine emperors.  Charlemagne had already achieved a strong Roman identity in the ways of literature. Soon, Rome and Byzantine culture also started to appear in the Caroligion’s architecture and art as well. In the Carolingian Empire, many ivory carvings were starting to make an appearance throughout Charlemagne’s rule. Ivory carvings were a big part of art in the Roman and Byzantine Empires’ art styles. However, during the rule of Charlemagne, there was a great deal of ivory carvings in the Carolingian Empire, which included the Plaque with the Scene at Emmaus. Not limited to art, the Roman and Byzantine ways presented themselves in Carolingian architecture as well. Charlemagne’s Aachen Cathedral was largely influenced by late Byzantine architecture, by using barrels and groin vaults. These different Roman and Byzantine influences throughout Caroling's art show how important Byzantine and Roman influences were on Carolingian's art. More importantly, these different artworks that were produced by the Roman and Byzantine influences incorporated their culture into Carolingian's art style. This demonstrates how the Caroligion’s art showed diverse cultures within them. With the Byzantine and Roman culture mixed with the Carolingian Empire’s art style (focusing on the motifs of Christian figures and more), the Carolingian Empire was able to create a unique output of artwork. Charlemagne’s wanting to enforce Christianity upon his empire led him to rule like Constantine, a Roman/Byzantine emperor, which ultimately allowed Roman and Byzantine influence to be incorporated into Carolingian art. 

Charlemagne was a strong military leader, who constantly enforced Christianity upon his expanding empire, creating a diverse culture, which was displayed through the Carolingian Empire’s art. Through various military conquests, he was able to unite parts of Europe through Christianity which created diverse cultures. To strengthen his rule and eliminate Norse Paganism, Charlemagne ran a military campaign called the Saxon War. In 772, the Saxons burned a Christian church in the Carolingian Empire. Charlemagne used this as an excuse to march his troops into Northern Europe and initiate a war. Charlemagne and his troops won, and as a result, the Saxons were forced to convert to Christianity, and their pagan church, Irminsua, was destroyed. This account was talked about in the book The Life of Charlemagne written by Einhard, one of Charlemagne’s close friends and an excelling writer. More specifically, Einhard wrote, “Which were renunciation of their [the Saxon's] national religious customs and the worship of devils, acceptance of the sacraments of the Christian faith and religion, and union with the Franks to form one people.” Charlemagne’s enforcement of Christianity upon his newly conquered people demonstrates how he wanted to eliminate non-Christian forces and convert them to Christianity. This reveals Charlemagne’s wanting to expand his Christian Empire, throughout Europe. He achieved this goal by being an effective military leader. Additionally, he was able to conquer bits of Spain, Brittany, the Saxons, and the Lombards. If Charlemagne was not a strong military leader, he couldn’t have conquered and converted so many tribes. This helped him expand his Christian Empire. Such accomplishments further drove Charlemagne's determination for a kingdom united under Christianity. Charlemagne continued to conquer more lands, each with unique and diverse cultures. Although Charlemagne made sure of converting people to Christianity, gradually accepted different cultures as long as it didn’t interfere with his vision of his Christian Empire. This allowed for various cultures to appear and blend into the Carolingian Empire’s own culture.  An example would be, as the Saxon culture was brought into Charlemagne’s Empire, their cultures blended. These new cultural influences impacted the ways of living and achieving various art styles. Carolingian artwork carries multitudes of different art techniques from various lands that Charlemagne conquered. An example of this was the Germanic tribe (part of it being the Saxons) and their artwork. German tribes were known for showing their wealth through lavishing weapons, and gems, which ended up in making fine jewelry and other exceptional artwork. The early Carolingian Empire’s artwork, focused on mixes of Roman and Byzantine classical styles and an emphasis on the human figure was present. In the later Carolingian Empire’s artwork, while it still focused on the classical styles and human figures, luxury was also present. One of the art pieces that show the newly founded art style in the empire is the Lothair Crystal.  Moreover, the art techniques from Charlemagne’s conquests made an appearance throughout the Carolingian Empire allowing people to incorporate new unique styles into their art. Artistic styles and techniques blended to create another art style display the uniqueness that the Carolingian art carried. Not only limited to Roman and Byzantine influences, but the Carolingian Empire’s artwork also displayed diverse cultures and art styles within them. Going back to the Lothair Crystal, despite being made in Aachen, which was part of Charlemagne’s empire, it carried a Germanic artistic style. Additionally, this artwork also displays the idea of Christianity’s imperial culture within the Carolingian empire. With the display of diverse art, the Carolingian Empire’s art style was able to develop uniquely according to the cultures (such as Christianity) that occupied the Carolingian Empire. Similar to the previous example, Charlemagne used his political power which resulted in a blend of culture creating a unique art style. Using his strong military leadership abilities, Charlemagne was able to conquer land and introduce a new culture and Christianity into his empire, which resulted in diverse and unique art styles. 

Charlemagne used his power as a legislator to enforce Christian laws, which allowed development in education and an increase in literacy rates, allowing more unique art.  With a growing Christian Empire, he saw different tribes within his empire practice different ways of Christianity. Wanting to unite his empire as a whole, Charlemagne had a great interest in educating them and disciplining his empire under a single set of laws. To do so, he wanted more intelligent secular and religious officials. As a smart legislator, Charlemagne realized he needed well-educated members of the government to support him. Additionally, he valued Christian education and wanted the members of his government to be educated in Christianity.  He gathered scholars who shared knowledge of leadership and law. These scholars would meet at Charlemagne’s court and share ideas and educate each other on how to improve the government and other knowledge. These discussions would result in various ideologies, which the new ideology would get written into a book. This resulted in the mass production of books during Charlemagne’s time. Charlemagne’s drive for people to practice the same kind of Christianity resulted in him wanting better Christian education within his empire. Charlemagne’s drive to unite the practice of Christianity under one set of laws drove him to help scholars come together and share ideas. These ideas were the ideas that would get written down in books. With many scholars working in the court, Charlemagne was able to increase the number of books. What once started as a way to create a set of laws for Christian practices, resulted in the flourishing of books and manuscripts. With so many books available, more people were eager to write and read. This caused an increase in literacy within the Carolingian Empire. Additionally, with many of these books about Christianity, Charlemagne was able to create a strong Christian identity within his empire. Charlemagne used his power to gather people which increased the literacy rates. With an increased knowledge of Christianity, general knowledge also began to grow. The Latin language became increasingly common in the Carolingian Empire, and many people began using it to read and write. Studies that Charlemagne orchestrated allowed the Carolingian Empire’s literacy rate to increase. With an increased literacy rate, books became a more common way to carry knowledge within the Carolingian Empire. However, books also began to carry the art style of the Carolingian Empires with them. Even though Carolamange never learned to write, he created a Carolingian minuscule, which allowed handwriting to be easily read, increasing literacy. The Carolingian minuscule helped reading for many people as well as providing aesthetic and neat letters, which some people labeled as art. Charlemagne’s minuscule counted as art enough, however, he created the Palace School of Charlemagne and Charles the Bald, which was a manuscript illustrating center. Not only limited to the Palace School, but artists around the Carolingian Empire also illustrated manuscripts in places such as Soissons, Rheims, Metz, Lorsch, and St. Gallen. Here artworks such as the Gospel of the Carolingian Empire were produced. With an increased literacy rate within his empire, Charlemagne was able to contain not only knowledge but also art style within the pages of his writings. The scripture that Charlemagne created called the Carolingian musicals became a unique part of the Carolingian Empire’s artworks displayed through various copied-down manuscripts. Additionally, Charlemagne was able to create centers of schools that could illustrate manuscripts because education within his empire was flourishing as well. The Gospel of the Carolingian Empire carried a uniqueness to them, containing the history of the Carolingian Empire’s history as well as displaying decorative elements. These elements created the book to be a piece of artwork as well as fine literature. These elements of Caroligion books and manuscripts helped them create a unique sense of art style within the empire. Overall, Charlemagne’s wanting to unite the Christian kingdom under a strong set of laws resulted in increasing the literacy rates which allowed illustrated books to become a part of the Carolingian Empire’s artistic style. 

The unique artwork provided by the Carolingian Empire demonstrates how Charlemagne used his political influence to expand his Christian Empire. Using his political influences he was able to revive classics due to looking up to a Christian emperor, allowing classical features to be displayed in Carolingian art and architecture. Charlemagne also acted as a strong military leader to expand his Christian Empire. The newly conquered land’s culture managed to appear in Carolingian art. Not only that, Charlemagne was able to build a strong government that increased literacy rates. This allowed illustrated books to be part of Carolingian art. Despite all his efforts, Charlemagne’s kingdom fell apart soon after his death. However, his accomplishments were able to live through to our lives today. Although, many people might wonder, if Charlemagne’s Empire had carried on after him how would that have affected Christianity? 

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