Did Charlemagne really invent the school?

Understanding the history of France means above all diving into the fascinating meanders of its dynasties. From the Merovingians to the Bourbons, more than 1400 years of reigns have followed one another, forging the borders, institutions and culture of our country. But how do you find your way through alliances, betrayals, division of empires and royal branches? It is to meet this challenge of clarity and transmission that DYNASTIE has designed the complete genealogy of the Kings of France.

Of all the figures who populate this historical fresco, one of them arouses constant interest: Emperor Charlemagne. Popular memory, aided by a famous song from the 1960s, attributes to him a revolutionary invention: the school. What is the real situation? Let us travel to the heart of the eighth century to unravel the true from the false and understand how this scholastic ambition structured Carolingian power.

1. The origin of the myth: from the Third Republic to the present day

If we ask the French, the idea that Charlemagne invented school is deeply rooted. However, schools existed long before the Carolingian era: Roman antiquity, classical Greece, and even ancient Egypt had structured educational systems for their elites.

So, where does this myth come from? We have to go back to the end of the nineteenth century, under the Third Republic. Ernest Lavisse, a famous historian and author of school textbooks, was looking for tutelary figures to embody the virtues of the republican, secular and compulsory school carried out by Jules Ferry. Charlemagne, a visionary and unifying ruler, was then transformed into the "father of the school" in the imagination of schoolchildren. This national narrative, although romanticized, is nevertheless based on a major historical reality: the profound educational reform of the year 789.

2. Historical Reality: The Admonitio Generalis of 789

In March 789, Charlemagne promulgated theAdmonitio Generalis (The General Exhortation). This legislative text (a capitular) was a real earthquake for the time. Faced with an immense empire stretching from the North Sea to Italy, the emperor made an alarming observation: the intellectual and moral level of the clergy was at its lowest, and the sacred texts were riddled with copying errors.

To unify his peoples and ensure divine support, Charlemagne ordered that in each bishopric and monastery, schools be opened to teach reading, writing, arithmetic and grammar to children. Contrary to popular belief, these schools were primarily aimed at future priests and the sons of notables destined to become the executives of the imperial administration (the Missi Dominici). The objective was above all political and religious: to Christianize, administer, and standardize the Empire.

To carry out this undertaking, Charlemagne surrounded himself with the greatest minds of his time, including the Anglo-Saxon scholar Alcuin, whom he placed at the head of the Palatine School in Aachen. This was the beginning of what historians call the Carolingian Renaissance.

3. What did they learn in the Carolingian schools ?

Under Alcuin's leadership, education was restructured around the Seven Liberal Arts, inherited from Antiquity, divided into two cycles:

1. The Trivium (the arts of the word):

2. Grammar: the learning of classical Latin, the official language of the Empire.

3. Rhetoric: the art of speech and persuasion.

4. The Dialectic: logical reasoning and argumentation.

5. The Quadrivium (the arts of numbers):

6. Arithmetic: the basic calculation.

7. Geometry: the measurement of spaces.

8. Music: liturgical singing, essential for religious celebrations.

9. Astronomy: the calculation of the calendar, in particular to set the date of Easter.

It was also at this time that the tiny Caroline. This round, clear and standardized script replaces the illegible regional scripts. It allowed for a rapid spread of knowledge and laws throughout the empire. It is so effective that it directly inspires the type we still use today !

4. The ramifications of the Carolingian dynasty: a fragmented empire

Charlemagne's educational and centralizing efforts did not prevent his empire from fragmenting after his death in 814. His only surviving son, Louis the Pious, maintained unity as best he could, but when the latter died, a terrible war of succession broke out between his three sons.

In 843, Treaty of Verdun definitively divides the immense empire into three distinct kingdoms:

1. West Francia (attributed to Charles the Bald), which became the kingdom of France.

2. East Francia (attributed to Louis the German), ancestor of Germany.

3. Lotharingia (attributed to Lothair I), a fragile central strip from the North Sea to Italy, which would eventually be absorbed by its neighbours.

This dynastic fragmentation and the gradual weakening of royal power in the face of Norman invasions led, in 987, to the extinction of the direct Carolingian line in West Francia and to the advent of a new major dynasty: the Capetians, with the election of Hugh Capet.

5. How to read and understand the Carolingian lineage on the DYNASTY family tree ?

Following the complex successions, territorial divisions and royal cousinages of the Carolingian period can be a real headache for genealogy and history enthusiasts. It is precisely to offer a global and clear vision that our poster of the Family Tree of the Kings of France has been designed and validated by experts.

Here's how to use our poster to easily decode the Carolingian dynasty:

1. Colour-coded and time-block tracking: The Carolingian dynasty is immediately identifiable thanks to its dedicated graphic charter. Located between the Merovingian block (top) and the large Capetian block (below), it extends horizontally to graphically illustrate the expansion and then the division of the empire.

2. Direct filiation and dividing lines: You will spot Charlemagne (Charles I the Great) at a glance. Just below, the lines divide geometrically to materialize the famous Treaty of Verdun of 843. The branches of Charles the Bald, Louis the German, and Lothair are perfectly distinct, allowing you to visually understand why the kingdom fragmented.

3. Coats of arms and coats of arms: Each sovereign is accompanied by his or her nominative cartouche including his exact dates of reign. Strategic marriage alliances are symbolized by connecting rings, highlighting the importance of Carolingian queens in medieval diplomacy.

Whether you are a teacher looking for a visual aid for your students, a parent wishing to transmit the love of History to your children, or an art lover wishing to adorn your living room with a rigorous historical fresco, this poster is the ideal tool for deciphering.

👉 Discover the complete poster of the family tree of the Kings of France on our website and display History at home.