TY - BOOK ID - 125133494 TI - Rethinking the Carolingian Reforms AU - Westwell, Arthur AU - Rembold, Ingrid AU - van Rhijn, Carine PY - 2023 SN - 1526149540 PB - Manchester University Press DB - UniCat KW - Historiography KW - Middle Ages KW - History KW - Middle ages UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:125133494 AB - The Carolingian period (c. 750-900) has traditionally been described as one of 'reform' or 'renaissance', where cultural and intellectual changes were imposed from above in a programme of correctio. This view leans heavily on prescriptive texts issued by kings and their entourages, foregrounding royal initiative and the cultural products of a small intellectual elite. However, attention to understudied texts and manuscripts of the period reveals a vibrant striving for moral improvement and positive change at all levels of society. This expressed itself in a variety of ways for different individuals and communities, whose personal relationships could be just as influential as top-down prescription. The often anonymous creators and copyists in a huge range of centres emerge as active participants in shaping and re-shaping the ideals of their world. ER -