51. General Form for a Grant of Immunity to a Bishop

(Trans. by Cheyney, E. P., Documents Illustrative of Feudalism, p. 11) The following general form, used commonly during the Middle Ages to extend large powers and immunities to the bishops of the Church, illustrates both the form of grant and the extensive nature of the powers and immunities granted.

A. Grants of Immunity from the Visits of the King's Officials We believe that it increases the great strength of our realm, if with benevolent deliberation we concede opportune benefits to certain churches, or to certain other specified parties, and under God's protection write them down to endure permanently. Therefore, may your Zeal know that we have seen fit upon petition to grant such a benefit, for our eternal reward, to that apostolic man, Lord bishop of the city of that in the vills belonging to the church of that lord, which he is seen to have at the present time, either by our gift or that of any one else, or which in the future godly piety shall wish to add to the possessions of that holy place, no public judge shall at any time presume to enter, for the hearing of causes or for the exaction of payments, but the prelate himself, or his successors in God's name shall be able to rule over these possessions as enjoying complete immunity.

We decree, therefore, that neither you, nor your subordinates, nor your successors, nor any public judicial power shall presume at any time to enter upon the vills of the same church anywhere in our kingdom, either those granted by royal bounty, or by that of private persons, or those which shall in future be granted; either for the purpose of settling disputes, or to exact fines for any cause, or to obtain lodgment, entertainment, or sureties. But whatever the treasury might expect from fines or otherwise, either from freemen, serfs, or others within the fields or boundaries of the aforesaid church, or dwelling upon its lands, this revenue we surrender, for our future welfare, in order that it may be applied to the expenses of the same church by the hand of those ruling it, forever.

And what we, in the name of God and for the remedy of our soul and that of our children after us, have granted from full devotion, let not the royal sublimity itself, nor the reckless cupidity of any of the magistrates be tempted to violate.

And in order that the present decree may, by the aid of God, remain inviolate now and hereafter, we have ordained that this be certified by the subscription of our hand.

SEAL

52. Powers and Immunities granted to the Monastery of
Saint Marcellus

The following powers and immunities were granted by Charlemagne to the monastery of Saint Marcellus, at Châlons-sur-Sâone, France, in 776 A.D. The document is a specific case, of which the preceding document (R. 51) is a general form, and shows what large legal powers and exemptions from authority were granted by the kings to monasteries and monks, as well as to churches and clergy.

Charles, by the grace of God King of the Franks and Lombards and Patrician of the Romans, to all having charge of our affairs, both present and to come:

By the help of the Lord, who has raised us to the throne of this kingdom, it is the chief duty of our clemency to lend a gracious ear to the needs of all, and especially ought we devoutly to regard that which we are persuaded has been granted by preceding kings to Church foundations for the saving of souls, and not to deny fitting benefits, in order that we may deserve to be partakers of the reward, but to confirm them in still greater security.

Now the illustrious Hubert, bishop and ruler of the church of St. Marcellus, which lies below the citadel of Châlons, where the precious martyr of the Lord himself rests in the body, has brought it to the attention of our Highness that the kings who preceded us, or our lord and father of blessed memory, Pippin, the preceding king, had by their charters granted complete immunities to that Monastery, so that in the towns or on the lands belonging to it no public judge, nor any one with power of hearing cases or exacting fines, or raising sureties, or obtaining lodging or entertainment, or making requisitions of any kind, should enter.

Moreover, the aforesaid bishop, Hubert, has presented the original charters of former kings, together with the confirmations of them, to be read by us, and declares the same favors to be preserved into modern times; but desiring the confirmation of our clemency, he prays that our authority may confirm this grant anew to the Monastery.

Wherefore, having inspected the said charters of former kings, we command that neither you, nor your subordinates, nor your successors, nor any person having judicial powers shall presume to enter into the villages which may at the present time be in possession of that Monastery, or which hereafter may have been so bestowed by God-fearing men, or (may be about to be so bestowed) (?). Let no public officer enter for the hearing of causes, or for exacting fines, or procuring sureties, or obtaining lodging or entertainment, or making any requisitions, but in full immunity, even as the favor of former kings has been continued down to the present day, so in the future also shall it,

through our authority, remain undiminished. And if in past times through any negligence of Abbots, or lukewarmness of rulers, or the presumption of public officers anything has been changed or torn away, removed or withdrawn from these immunities, let it be by our authority and favor restored. And, further, let neither you nor your subordinates presume to infringe or violate what we have granted.

But if there be any one, Dominus, Comes, Domesticus, Vicarius, or one girded with any judicial power whatsoever, by the indulgence of the good or by the favor of pious Christians or kings, who shall have presumed to infringe or violate these immunities, let him be punished with a fine of six hundred solidi, two parts to go to the library of this Monastery, and the third part to be paid into our treasury, so that impious men may not rejoice in violating that which our ancestors or good Christians may have conceded or granted. And whatever our treasury may have had a right to expect from this source, shall go to the profit of the men of this church of St. Marcellus the martyr, to the better establishment of our kingdom and the good of those who shall succeed us.

And that this decree may firmly endure, we have ordered it to be confirmed with our own hand under our seal.

SEAL

Seal of Charles, the most glorious king. Given on the thirtieth of April in the eleventh and fifth year of our reigns. Done at Heristal.

CHAPTER VI

EDUCATION DURING THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES

I. CONDITION AND PRESERVATION OF LEARNING

THE Readings in this chapter deal with the condition of learning after the downfall of the Roman Empire, the work of the monasteries in preserving the old pagan learning and the arts of reading and writing, and the efforts of Kings Charlemagne and Alfred to revive the study of letters in their domains.

To such a low ebb had all learning declined, after the barbarian invasions, that but few schools remained in Gaul and northern Italy, and these were needed only for the purposes of the Church. All through the early Middle Ages the monasteries or the Church offered the only means to an education, and the only type of career for which learning was needed. Parents wishing their children to follow careers usually gave them to a monastery, for which gift fixed forms of dedication (53 a) were used. Beside agriculture, various forms of manual labor, and acts of devotion, life in a monastery also called for some form of literary labor. For most of the monks this meant reading, though a few specialized and became copyists, and some monasteries specialized on book copying and thus became the publishers of the Middle Ages. The work of copying books is well described in Numbers 54 and 55, both being chronicles from old monastic writers. Some nunneries also became noted for their book work, the work of one nun being described in Reading 56. The preparation and binding of books was a long and important process, and the work of the monks is well described in the extract from Symonds (57). When the manufacture of a book had been completed it was customary to inscribe in it an anathema, to protect it from theft. Samples of these anathemas are reproduced from Clark (58 a-f).

During the early part of the Middle Ages learning was better preserved in England than on the Continent, and the extracts from Bede (59 a-c) and Alcuin (60) give good pictures of the teaching of Theodore at Canterbury and Ælbert at York. Alcuin also describes the more important books in the celebrated cathedral library at York (61).

In 768 A.D., there came to the throne as king of the great Frankish nation one of the greatest rulers of all time - Charlemagne. Finding learning in a most deplorable condition in his kingdom, and realizing the need for training for his clergy, he began a series of efforts to bring scholars and teachers into Frankland. The most important man brought in was Alcuin, from York, who arrived in 782, and spent the remainder of his life in educational labors there. Organizing first a Palace School, he began the instruction of Charlemagne's immediate household. A good sample of the instruction prepared for Charlemagne's son, Pepin, is reproduced in Number 62. Under Alcuin's inspiration a number of proclamations on education were issued (64 a-c), and a collection of edited sermons (63) was issued to the churches. After fourteen years as Charlemagne's teacher and minister of education, Alcuin retired to the monastery at Tours, where, as Abbot, he spent the remainder of his life in directing the copying of books and in training scholars. In a letter to Charlemagne, asking for books from England to copy (65), we get a good picture of the deplorable educational conditions of the time, as well as of the old man's thirst for learning.

England, too, was later ravaged by the Danes, as was northern France by the Northmen, and learning fell into decay in both places. England especially suffered, and King Alfred, in his Introduction to Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care (66), gives us a good picture of the sad conditions which had come about in his kingdom. As Charlemagne, before him, he too was forced to seek scholars from abroad (67) to restore learning at home. The education he gave his son (68) is indicative of the best training of the time.

Many of the mediæval monasteries grew into large and important institutions, one of the most notable of which was that of Saint Gall, in Switzerland. The ground plan of this monastery in the ninth century (69) shows what a large institution it had become, and the description appended reveals the varied activities carried on within the walls of one of the larger institutions.

53. Form for offering a Child to a Monastery; the Monastic Vow; and a Letter of Honorable Dismissal

(From Migne, Patrologia, 66, col. 842, 821, 859)

The forms which follow represent examples used in offering a child to a monastery, the monastic vows which were taken, and