Charlemagne was born around 742, the son of Bertrada of Laon (d.783) and Pepin the Short (d.768), who became king of the Franks in 751. Charlemagne\u2019s exact birthplace is unknown, although historians have suggested Liege in present-day Belgium and Aachen in modern-day Germany as possible locations. Similarly, little is known about the future ruler\u2019s childhood and education, although as an adult, he displayed a talent for languages and could speak Latin and understand Greek, among other languages.<\/p>\n
After Pepin\u2019s death in 768, the Frankish kingdom was divided between Charlemagne and his younger brother Carloman (751-771). The brothers had a strained relationship; however, with Carloman\u2019s death in 771, Charlemagne became the sole ruler of the Franconians.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Carolingian minuscule<\/span><\/b>, <\/b>in <\/a>calligraphy<\/a>, clear and manageable script that was established by the educational reforms of Charlemagne<\/a> in the latter part of the 8th and early 9th centuries. As rediscovered and refined in the Italian Renaissance<\/a> by the humanists, the script survives as the basis of the present-day Roman upper- and lowercase type.<\/p>\n A learned English cleric, <\/a>Alcuin<\/a> of York, was invited in 781 by Charlemagne<\/a> to become master of the palace school at Aachen<\/a> (Aix-la-Chapelle). He returned to England<\/a> in 786 and again in 790, but he eventually retired as abbot of St. Martin\u2019s at Tours, where he built up a monastic school and gathered many books. He is credited with Roman Catholic liturgical reforms and with the promotion of Carolingian minuscule as the official court hand.<\/p>\n The crowning achievement of the Tours school of scholars, Carolingian minuscule scribes, and artists was attained in the mid-9th century in the<\/a>Gospels of Lothair, produced by Alcuin\u2019s successors.<\/p>\n To understand the development of modern Western calligraphy it is important to survey historical writing styles\u2014some of which profoundly influenced subsequent work\u2014as well as how the materials of writing have been used. Most calligraphy is done with pen and ink on paper or parchment, although brushes and chisels are also used for making large letters on various surfaces. Later judgments about how the tip of a pen (usually a quill or reed) was cut, the angle at which it was held, and the formation of individual letters are conjectures based on the evidence of images of people writing.<\/p>\n What is Gothic? Gothic <\/span>was the culminating artistic expression of the middle ages, occurring roughly from 1200\u20141500. The term Gothic originated with the Italians who used it to refer to rude or barbaric cultures north of the Italian Alps.<\/p>\n![\"carolinian](\"http:\/\/art85.patrickaievoli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/carolinian-mini.jpg\")
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LATIN-ALPHABET HANDWRITING<\/h2>\n
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BLACKLETTER GOTHIC STYLE<\/h2>\n