Alcuin’s accomplishments were numerous and varied, both for the church and the Carolingian court, and his impact on Charlemagne was probably more profound than the existing documents allow us to know. He also influenced generations of European thinkers, either directly or through the educational programs he designed.

Alcuin of York–More Than a Scholar

In 781, a Saxon monk named Alcuin had an encounter that changed his life and became the catalyst of the dynamic but short-lived Carolingian Renaissance. The man he met was the Frankish King Charles (later known as Charlemagne). As many others him, Charles was struck by Alcuin’s intellect and abilities, and invited him to join a group of scholars at his court.

Tutor and Educational Reformer

Alcuin—probably in his 40’s—accepted the offer, although he spent some time in transition between France and his native England. This commute was not in contrast with his new position, since Charles was also involved in English politics. Besides, at that time, the Frankish court was still somewhat itinerant and had not established itself at Aachen.

Charles made Alcuin his personal adviser, and tutor to himself and his children. Later, he promoted him to head of the school. The two men became good friends. They shared a joy of learning, a robust piety, a keen sense of humor, a love for children, and the conviction that education was essential to the wellbeing of both church and state.

In his capacity of headmaster, Alcuin devised a course of study that could apply to both Charles’ court and the clergy. He emphasized the seven liberal arts: the trivium (grammar, rhetoric, and logic) and the quadrivium (geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, and music).

His scholastic method of teaching in questions and answers is evident in a book of riddles and inquiries entitled Discussions between Pippin and professor Albinus—one of several of this kind. Pippin was one of Charles’s sons, and Albinus was one of Alcuin’s nicknames.

The book is both instructional and philosophical—even poetical at times. For example, the answer to the question, “What is the sea?” is “The path of daring, the boundary of the earth, the separator of territories, the resting-place of rivers, the source of showers, a refuge in dangers, a grace among delights.”[1]

A few questions and answers reveal some pessimism, probably because the work makes no mention of Christ. “What is a human being? A slave to death, a traveller passing through, a stranger in the place.”[2]

Some puzzles are indecipherable today. The most familiar to Christians is this: “Three there have been: one never born and once dead; another once born, never dead; the third once born and twice dead.”[3]

Overall, the members of Charles’ court shared a feeling of enthusiasm and an exciting awareness of being part of an extraordinary period of renewal.

The Importance of Preaching

Alcuin’s education of the clergy aimed at equipping preachers. By the end of the eighth century, preaching was almost a lost art. It was left to the bishops, who were few in number, and preached mostly in their cathedral churches on feast days (not even on Sundays). Sunday worship included a simple reading from a collection of sermons called “homiliaries.” The problem intensified as Charles continued to conquer new territories. More lands required more qualified preachers.    

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