Explain the importance of Charlemagne’s reign in terms of religion, politics, and art

 In history, many kings were able to achieve different things, and when things are looked at in the context of Charlemagne’s reign, it was evident that his rule was wonderful in so many ways. His efforts, as well as, diplomacy to form a unified administration have been phenomenal. His ability to handle matters was immense and impressive in terms of politics, religion, and art. The religious policy administered by Charlemagne was very effective in positively managing the forces of change. His work was so appreciative in terms of reviving the intellectual and cultural essence of Europe. That’s why, when history is reviewed in his rule’s context, he is considered to be the “Father of Europe”. This name is given to him because of his great contribution in different fields of life. He not only increased the efficiency of politics, but he gave an intense focus on religion. One great example of his great work is the fact, when he was able to establish a royal scriptorium, which helped to develop a new writing system and due to this new system, it was easier to do copying and reading (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2020)

2. Chapter 12 - What does Romanesque mean, and what are the main characteristics of the period? Give examples in your answer.

            In the books of history, the Romanesque period is considered the one with the dominant essence of Romanesque Architecture. The term is used for the design of buildings made in a European style in the era of the 8th century until the 12th century. The total period is divided into three further periods, where the first one is called Pre-Romanesque, the second one is called Early Romanesque, and the last period is called Mature Romanesque. It is important to mention here that most of the Romanesque Architecture was influenced by Roman art, and its most evident presence was seen in the religion sector. It was also evident that this period was a transformational one for Europe as Europe saw great progress to experience prosperity in this period. The beauty of this art was to give lay artists a new life in creating great art, which was only associated with the royal court before (Lumenlearning.com, 2020)

3. Chapter 13 - Explain why naturalism made its way back into sculpture during the Gothic period. What did artists and viewers find useful about naturalism used in religious subjects? Give an example in your answer.

            Earlier, the naturalism was lacking in the work of sculpture, but it slowly made its way back in the Gothic period. The human body is the real essence of naturalism, which deals with the fact of how human bodies move like any other thing in space. It was evident that in an earlier period, spiritual art was more common, and its physical essence was missing and ignored. But this thing started to regain its space back in the Gothic period. In the field of religious subjects, the artists and viewers tend to use naturalism to create art, which gave human bodies a view to adjusting in space, rather than getting in relation to any earthly settings. The human body has many psychical realities with regards to space, and this thing was evident during the Gothic period, where artists used it more than any other era (Khan Academy, 2014)

References of Charlemagne’s reign in terms of religion

Encyclopædia Britannica. (2020). Charlemagne: HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR [747?–814]. Retrieved April 2, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charlemagne/Religious-reform

Khan Academy. (2014). Introduction to Late Gothic art. Retrieved April 2, 2020, from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/late-gothic-italy/beginners-guide-late-gothic/a/introduction-to-late-gothic-art

Lumenlearning.com. (2020). The Romanesque Period. Retrieved April 2, 2020, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/the-romanesque-period/