Mind-Benders of Christian History
The court scholar behind our lowercase letters
Alcuin of York led the palace school of Charlemagne and helped drive a reform of handwriting. The clear, rounded script promoted in that revival — Carolingian minuscule — later became the model for Renaissance scribes and, through them, for the roman lowercase letters used in print and on screens today.
How we know
Alcuin of York c. 735–804 led Charlemagne's palace school; Carolingian minuscule (late 8th–9th c.) became the model for humanist minuscule and modern roman lowercase type.
One of many fact-checked wonders across eight traditions at The Spring of Wisdom.