Handbook for translators of Spanish historical ... - University Library

HANDBOOK FOR TRANSLATORS OF SPANISH HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
they imposed upon the people their various types of handwriting.
Upon the fall of the Roman empire, the Franks
adopted the handwriting of the conquered race. In the hands
of the Franks, however, Roman handwriting rapidly deteriorated
into what is known as the Merovingian hand. By the
Merovingian hand the Roman cursive was "transformed into a
curiously cramped style of writing, and the letters "being
laterally compressed, the strokes usToally slender, and
the heads and tails of letters exaggerated. "'^ This type
of Frankish handwriting continued to deteriorate to such
a degree that a reform was greatly desired. Such a reform
was instituted "by Charlemagne in the eighth century.
The activity of Charlemagne in the field of learning
prompted a reform in handwriting, the chief medium for
the propagation of literature. Under his direction, great
impetus was given to the improvement of the current hand;
and the chief monastic centers of Europe increased the work
of their writing schools. None was more active than the
monastic schools of Tours, where, "under the direction of
Alcuin of York, abhot of St. Martin's from 796 to 804, the
exact hand later known as the Caroline miniscule was developed.
The Caroline miniscule spread rapidly "beyond the "boundaries
of France. It was, however, slow in penetrating
into Spain. The province of Catalonia, which adjoined
France, was the first to adopt this form of handwriting.
It "was not introduced into the rest of Spain, however, until
the eleventh century; and it "was not generally adopted
until the "twelfth century. The Caroline miniscule "was introduced
in Spain by the monks of Cluny, first in Aragon
and Navarre, and later in Leon and Castille.-'-'^
The chief characteristics of the Caroline miniscule are:
(1) a tendency to use straight lines in all of its strokes;
(2) a contrast "between the main staffs, which are hea"vy,
and its loops, and other lines, which are extremely fine;
(3) even proportion; (4) absence of slant, its main staffs
are at right angles to the base line; (5) large number of
abbreviations; (6) absence of connections; each letter is
isolated from the rest. The Caroline miniscule, also known
in Spain as the French hand was used throughout Spain during
most of the twelfth century and the early decades of
the thirteenth century. During this period, abbreviations
by suspension, by contraction, and by special symbols were
'^E. M. Thompson, Ibid. , pp. 226-227.
J. M"u£oz y Rivero , I'bid. , p. 30.
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