What is Carolingian minuscule?

Who was Pepin the Hunchback?

Carolingian minuscule was developed in the late 8th century under the patronage of Charlemagne and was named in his honour. As it was clear, uniform and easy to read, Carolingian minuscule became an instrumental part of Charlemagne’s educational reforms. By the early 9th century, he had established it as the standardised script across his empire and it spread throughout Europe, remaining popular until the 12th century. Not only did Carolingian minuscule mark the beginning of lowercase letters and separation between words, but it also revived the use of the neglected element of punctuation — and formed the basis for writing systems today. Pepin was Charlemagne’s eldest son and he developed a notable curvature of the spine after birth, earning him his unfortunate sobriquet. In 792, Pepin plotted to overthrow his father with a group of disgruntled nobles but the coup was discovered before it could be put into action. While many of his fellow conspirators were blinded or killed for their crime, Charlemagne commuted Pepin’s sentence. Instead, the prince was banished to a monastery for the rest of his days.