Charting the history of an ancestor... a work in progress ^[1]

Twelve hundred years later: the story of a medieval school, 

a source of inspiration for a 21st century leadership institute.

Executive Summary

More than twelve centuries ago, in the year 798, a small group of Carolingian noblemen founded a school with the aim of teaching "the good conduct of estates" (translated from the original text in Latin). Nowadays such  would be called a centre or institute for the development of executive leaders. The olden school, a type of academy for 'junior leaders', was situated in the northeastern part of present-day France. 

Coincidence led to the discovery of the school's existence. The information emerged from historical research that focused on an entirely different subject, namely the impact of the maritime transgressions (marine floods) occurring along the North Sea shores during the Middle Ages, on the migration of populations across the Western European lowlands. 

The first manuscript revealing the existence of the olden academy became the starting-point of a research project initiated twelve years ago. Two other manuscripts, sourced in France and Germany, also refer to the olden school. The project members initially searched for the names of the founders, and the precise location of the school. Five possible sites, mostly castles, however none of which had weathered the centuries (in terms of above the ground walls or ruins), were proposed by the researchers.

Subsequently, in quest of the longevity of the olden academy, searches for additional references became of higher importance. Hypotheses were formulated and tested in light of known ethnographical, historical, economic, geographical, and climatological data. To this day much remains to be discovered about the school, especially during the 10th century. The likelihood that the learning centre was not operating on a continuous basis, is high. Factors such as the invasion and raids by the Normans, the change of ownership of lands, the breaking apart of Charlemagne's empire, the migrations of people, the many feuds between lords, the availability of teachers, as well as other local events or situations, have no doubt influenced the school's operations.       

Of the 11th century, a deed and another parchment  provide some conclusive information about the olden academy discontinuation. Historians tend to correlate this event with the mobilisation of people and noblemen for the crusades. Hugh, Count of Vermandois, played a pivotal role in that respect. The deed informs us that the academy's library had to be relocated. One parcel of books went to a nearby abbey. Another parcel was entrusted to scholars who were at the root of the nascent "Studium Generale" in Paris (later known as the "Université de Paris"). The olden leadership school thus supplied learning materials to the masters and scholars of one of the oldest centres for higher education, or university, in Western Europe. 

If one adopts a much broader perspective, encompassing the centuries before the Middle Ages, as well as the entire Northern Hemisphere, it appears that schools of higher learning had already existed in earlier times, and offered courses in a variety of disciplines. These ancient centres of learning, some of which are an early type of university ("universitas"), were often located in major port cities along the Mediterranean Sea or in the Orient - nearby the major trading routes that crossed the Middle and Far East (the Silk Road mainly). By the travels of their teachers and students who transferred knowledge across continents, the ancient schools contributed to the ascent of a number of colleges and universities that are still in existence today. 

Although the ancient leadership school did not outlive the next centuries, at the eve of the 21st century it became an important source of inspiration for another institution, The Thierry Graduate School of Leadership.

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[1] The historical legacy guardianship and communication is undertaken in compliance with the recommendation Rec(2005)13 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe  to member states on the governance and management of university heritage, as adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 7 December 2005.

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