The 9th Century
Explore the 9th century - an age of Carolingian renaissance, missionary expansion, and the beginning of Europe's transformation. Charlemagne's heirs divided his empire, while monks carried the faith to the Slavic peoples and Vikings tested Christian civilisation.
CarolingianChristendom
The 9th century opened with Charlemagne's coronation as Emperor on Christmas Day 800, reviving the Western Roman Empire in Christian form. His court at Aachen became a centre of learning, attracting scholars like Alcuin of York who standardised liturgy, reformed education, and preserved classical texts.
After Charlemagne's death in 814, his empire fragmented. The Treaty of Verdun in 843 divided the Carolingian realm among his grandsons, creating the foundations of France and Germany. Yet the Church provided continuity as bishops and abbots maintained order amid political chaos.
Missionary expansion continued as Sts Cyril and Methodius brought Christianity to the Slavic peoples, creating the Cyrillic alphabet to translate Scripture. Meanwhile, Viking raids devastated monasteries from Lindisfarne to Paris, yet these Northmen would themselves be converted within two centuries.
At a Glance
“To have another language is to possess a second soul.”
Charlemagne
Attributed
The Carolingian Legacy
Though Charlemagne's empire divided, his vision of a Christian Europe endured. The schools, monasteries, and manuscripts of the Carolingian renaissance preserved classical learning and shaped medieval civilisation.