De litteris colendis

The "Epistola de litteris colendis" is a well-known letter addressed by Emperor Charlemagne to Abbot Baugulf of Fulda, probably written sometimes in late 780s to 800s (decade), although the exact date is still debatable. The letter is a very important witness to the Carolingian educational reforms during the Carolingian Renaissance from late 8th century to 9th century. The letter shows Emperor Charlemagne's interest in promoting learning and education within his empire.

The oldest existing copy of this letter comes from the 18th century. Another version dates back to the 11th century. The older of the two surviving manuscripts is located at Wuerzburg and offers the original text addressed to Abbot Baugulf. The more recent manuscript (Metz, bibl mun fourth. o nr 226,.. SAEC XI, burned in 1945), whose text is preserved by older editions, is the revised version offered for Angilram, who was charged with the further dissemination.

The Epistula de litteris colendis is the earliest, and one of the most important, sources promoting the advance of educational reforms throughout Charlemagne's Empire. It was followed by the more detailed Admonitio generalis.

In the letter, Charlemagne expresses his concern about the literacy of monks and priests, many of whom were illiterate or only partially literate. Charlemagne expresses concern that their poor literacy may lead them to make errors or interpret the bible and scriptures incorrectly.

The well-known letter is addressed by Emperor Charlemagne, also known as Charles I. Charlemagne became the King of the Franks in 768 and the King of Italy in 774. He would later become the Emperor of the Carolingian Empire. Charlemagne carried on his father Pepin the Short’s policy with the papacy and viewed himself as its protector. Charlemagne’s admiration for learning led to his interest in scholarship. He encouraged his children to be well-educated and studied under Peter of Pisa, Alcuin of York, and Einhard. Charlemagne’s greatest weakness however, according to Einhard was his inability to write. Even his ability to read has been called into question.

This letter was presumably written by Alcuin of York, not by Charlemagne himself. Alcuin was Charlemagne’s teacher for rhetoric, logic, and astronomy. Alcuin wrote several theological and philosophical treatises. Alcuin, the director of the palace school at Aachen at the time, was encouraged by Charlemagne to introduce Carolingian minuscule, a script to standardize the Latin alphabet to be recognized by literate classes from one region to another. The letter was argued to contain literary elements that were Alcuinisms, indicating Alcuin's heavy influence.

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