Before the time of lances and shining armor, Charlemagne united most of Europe under one banner. In the 8th Century AD, he restored peace within broad borders and fostered the Carolingian REnaissance, a time oflearning, architecture, and art. One writer noted that when Charlemagne brought in a teacher, everyone who could be spared from work was expected to tend classes; his cook's daughter attended with his own children. What happened to that girl? Did she grow up to be a cook? Did she take her place with literate men as a scribe or messenger of the king?
Agnes is a cook's helper who can read and write Latin. She has no role model and no realistic of her future. On the one hand, her mentors assure her God has given her the gift of knowledge for a reason. On the other, they claim that she can not have a positions of responsibility. "If a dog could read and write, would you trust its judgment more?"