Rethinking the Carolingian reforms

The Carolingian period (<i>c</i>. 750-900) has traditionally been described as one of 'reform' or 'renaissance' where cultural and intellectual changes were imposed from above in a programme of <i>correctio</i>. This view leans heavily on prescriptive texts issued by kings and their entourages foregrounding royal initiative and the cultural products of a small intellectual elite. However attention to understudied texts and manuscripts of the period reveals a vibrant striving for moral improvement and positive change at all levels of society. This expressed itself in a variety of ways for different individuals and communities whose personal relationships could be just as influential as top-down prescription. The often anonymous creators and copyists in a huge range of centres emerge as active participants in shaping and re-shaping the ideals of their world.