Who was Alcuin? An Englishman!

Picture of MANUSCRIPT - Alcuin's Vulgate (9th century)


An educator, scholar, and theologian, Alcuin was born about 735 in or near York, in the north of England, and died 804. He was of noble birth, and in childhood he entered the cathedral school in York founded by Archbishop Egbert. His ability and holiness attracted the attention of the Archbishop, who devoted special attention to his education. In 767 he succeeded as master of the school, attracting numerous students and greatly expanding the already valuable library.

On a visit to Rome in March, 781, he met Charlemagne at Parma, and was persuaded by him move to France and become “Master of the Palace School”. Under his leadership the Palace School became the centre of knowledge and culture for the whole of Europe. Charlemagne himself, his queen, Luitgard, his sister Gisela, his three sons and two daughters became pupils of the school, and the rest of the nobility soon began to follow their example.

Alcuin attended the Synod of Frankfort in 794, and contributed to the drawing up of the decrees condemning Adoptionism. In 796, he was appointed by Charlemagne Abbot of St. Martin’s at Tours where he built up a model monastic school, gathering books and attracting the most promising students from far and near. He died 19 May, 804.

Through his work, Anglo-Saxon scholarship achieved a very wide influence, and the rich intellectual legacy of Bede at Jarrow, taken up by Alcuin, became the permanent possession of civilized Europe.

The Carolingian Renaissance: the Emperor Charlemagne and monk Alcuin

Isn't this beautiful! This Tiffany window (designed by Frederic Wilson) portrays the Emperor Charlemagne and monk Alcuin reading an astronomy book in the Palatine Chapel. As head of the Palatine school which Charlemagne established at Aachen, Germany, Alcuin (735-804) greatly influenced the revival of learning known as the Carolingian Renaissance which was largely prompted by the forward vision of Charlemagne and Alcuin. Although the culture of the time was still largely barbarian it was a beginning of the integration of Christianity and the best of the ancient Classical civilizations of Greece and Rome a process which ultimately gave birth to Christendom in the early Middle Ages.

Western civilization is thus rooted in the profound integration of Christianity and Classical civilization, which began at the Carolingian Renaissance. Perhaps we ourselves need to return to our roots as we did in the Renaissance period following the late Middle Ages.


This information is taken from an extremely interesting article on the website of: Universities of Western Civilization: http://www.uowc.org/news/charlemagne-and-alcuin/

Such a return to our roots is a goal of the Universities of Western Civilization.The image of these two pre-eminent figures of the Carolingian Renaissance appear on the Universities of Western Civilization banner.

Keynsham - Our Little town

Our town has a prehistoric history and is scattered with Roman remains, including two Roman villas and a burial site. The town also has links to the Mormen, the hostile forebears to the Angles. The original settlers in the area are said to have been allied with the Mormen and it is due to this alliance that Keynsham survived the 1147 Angle sacking.

The town which is said to be named after Saint Keyne, developed into a medieval market town, thriving alongside the influential and prosperous Keynsham Abbey, founded by the Victorine order of Augustinian monks around 1170 under the patronage of William Earl of Gloucester. It was founded the year in which the Earl's son Robert died, and traditionally at his son's dying request. At its foundation the canons seem to have adopted the then popular monastic discipline of St. Victor, so that the head of this house was always called the abbot, and the house was known as the house of the Canons of the Order of St. Austin and St. Victor.
[From: 'Houses of Augustinian canons: The abbey of Keynsham', A History of the County of Somerset: : http://www.british-history.ac.uk]
It survived until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 and a house was built on the site. There are still some minor remains to be seen in the town park. The town was also the site of a battle between royalist forces and the rebel Duke of Monmouth.

According to local legend, St Keyne was warned by the local King that the marshy area was swarming with snakes, which prevented habitation. St Keyne prayed to the heavens and turned the snakes to stone. Folklore has it that the fossilized ammonites that are very prevalent in the town are the remains of the snakes.

Keynsham played a part in the Civil War as the Roundheads saved the town and also camped there for the night.