Censorship in medieval times and today.

The early days of both Christianity and Islam are reflected in the art created during that time period. The leaders of both religions encouraged art that depicted the beliefs of their specific religion. Christian leaders were somewhat fearful of pagan portrayals through the arts, and so they actively discouraged the creation of those kinds of art works. Faithful Islamic people obeyed the Qur’an, which forbade images of living things.
The Carolingian dynasty began when Charles the Great or Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Unlike many rulers until his time Charlemagne had an interest in the arts and higher learning. Under his rule monasteries were encouraged to develop learning and the arts. I think that one of the most significant contributions of Charlemagne was the preservation of manuscripts. Monks not only copied these manuscripts carefully, but they also began illustrating them. These illustrations gave us some of the greatest art work of that ...