The Cathedral School of Reims in the Time of Master Alberic, 1118-1136

Western Europe in the first half of the twelfth century was witnessing a great intellectual and cultural revolution. One manifestation of this was the hordes of ambitious youths seeking instruction, not only in the traditional ‘seven liberal arts,’ but also in the more specialized fields of law, medicine, and theology. In consequence, old educational centers were being revitalized and new ones were appearing. For centuries, of course, most monasteries and some cathedrals had maintained schools. Previous to the twelfth century, however, the monastic schools had played a more conspicuous role in education than those of the cathedrals. The period with which we are concerned saw a notable reversal in this situation. Usually located in rural areas, monasteries were unprepared to supply the needs of large numbers of students. Nor was the presence of a transient and turbulent body of adolescents conducive to monastic discipline. Cathedrals, on the other hand, situated in the rapidly growing towns, could supply the students in their schools with the necessities of life, while providing elementary and often advanced instruction through a corps of teachers supervised by the cathedral scholasticus. Thus the early progress of the ‘Twelfth-Century Renaissance’ can frequently be best observed in a study of the history of this or that cathedral school. In the long run Paris, Laon, and Chartres were to exert the greatest influence. Yet there were many other schools in the period, 1100-1150, which could boast a famous master or two and which produced notable scholars. One of these was Reims, which under Master Alberic enjoyed for nearly twenty years a prestige in theological studies equalled by no contemporary school.