Alcuin

Alcuin of York (c. 735 – 804), also called Alcuin of Eoforwic, was an Anglo-Saxon scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher from York in the Kingdom of Northumbria.

Biography

In his later years, Alcuin accepted an invitation from King Charlemagne of the Franks to become a scholar and teach in the Carolingian court. In 803, Alcuin led an investigation within the churches and monasteries in the empire, discovering that the Order of the Ancients had infiltrated the Christian order, intending to corrupt the beliefs into their own.

On 10 May 804, Alcuin wrote a letter to Charlemagne documenting his findings, warning and urging him to heed his words and steer clear from the Order. Unbeknownst to him, Charlemagne was similarly corrupted by the ideals and became a leader of the Order in his own right. A week later on 19 May, Alcuin died under unknown circumstances.

Legacy

Alcuin's letter would eventually wound up in England, where it came into the possession of King Aethelwulf of Wessex, and eventually his son Aelfred. Aelfred kept the letter in his study in the Old Minster of Winchester, making his own commentaries on the Order and speculating that the Order or Charlemagne was responsible for Alcuin's death.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (mentioned only)