The Seven Liberal Arts. While the phrase “Liberal Arts” is nothing new to any student’s ears, the specific term “Seven Liberal Arts” might not have the same sense of familiarity. The term “liberal arts” comes from the Latin word “liber,” which means “to free”; thus it was believed that the Seven Liberal Arts would “free” one through the knowledge gained in each of various disciplines.1 The term “Seven Liberal Arts” or artes liberales refers to the specific “branches of knowledge” that were taught in medieval schools. These seven branches were divided into two categories: the Trivium and the Quadrivium. The Trivium refered to the branches of knowledge focused on language, specifically grammar, rhetoric, and logic. The second division, the Quadrivium, focused on mathematics and its application: arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, and music.2 Greek philosophers believed the Liberal Arts were the studies that would develop both moral excellence and greater intellect for man. However, it was not from the Greeks, but rather from the Romans that we see the first official pattern or grouping of the Seven Liberal Arts. The beginnings of this pattern came from the Roman teachers Varro and Capella. Varro (116 BCE-27 BCE), a Roman scholar, is credited with writing the first articulation about the Seven Liberal Arts.3 However, Capella (360 AD-428 AD) in his Marriage of Philology and Mercury, set the number and content of the Seven. Branching off of Capella’s work, three more Roman teachers—Boethius, Cassiodorus, and Isadore—were the ones who made the distinctions between the Trivium and Quadrivium.4 Through the writings and research of these men, the foundation for the Seven Liberal Arts was set and ready to be taught officially in the Medieval schools across Europe.
The first division of the liberal arts was called the Trivium which means “the place where three ways or roads meet.” The Trivium was the assembly of the three language subjects or “artes sermoincales”: grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric.5 It was expected that all educated people become proficient in the Latin language. After so many years of school with Latin being the spoken language, the student would be deemed proficient in the language and he would begin studying the higher-level curriculum.6 Completion of the Trivium was equivalent to a student’s modern day bachelor degree.7
The grammar aspect of the Trivium aimed to have students critically analyze and memorize texts as well as produce their own writings. One of the most famous grammatical texts studied by students was the Doctrinale of Alexander of Villedieu, which was a work of verse written in 1199. Naturally, the classics, such as Virgil, were studied as well as some Christian texts.8 In the stronger monasteries, other pagan authors besides Virgil were also studied.9 Not only was Virgil studied, but Donatus and Priscian wrote two very popular textbooks for the study of grammar. Donatus’ work was seen as an elementary work because he focused on the eight parts of speech. Priscian’s work, on the other hand, dealt with more advanced grammatical topics, and he cited some of the Roman forefathers of the Seven, such as Capella, Augustine, and Boethius.10
The student interest level in dialectic had been immense since the early days of the Greek schools, since they focused on the arts of reasoning and logic. For some, such as Rhabanus Maurus, dialectic was considered “the science of sciences.” The commonly studied dialectic textbooks were translations of the famous Greek teacher Boethius’ Categories and De interpretatione of Aristotle. By the twelfth century, the study of dialectic, or logic, came to be seen as the major subject of the trivium.11
The final academic aspect of the Trivium was rhetoric, which focused on expression as well as some aspects of history and law. Again, Boethius had some famous works that were studied in this discipline, but the common textbook was the Artis rhetoricae by Fortunatianus. Grammar and rhetoric were encouraged to a greater extent in the first half of the Middle Ages because knowing Latin was essential.12 The Carolingian period saw the expansion of the discipline of rhetoric grow to include prose composition. This discipline set the groundwork for the studies of canon and civil law in medieval schools.13
The Quadrivium, whose Latin translation is “the place where the four roads meet,” was the assembly of the four mathematical subjects or artes reales: arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy.14 These four areas of study were more advanced than those of the Trivium. Because of this, completion of the Quadrivium would result in the student being awarded a Masters of the Arts degree.15 For Medieval education, all the liberal arts subjects were seen as complementary to ones theology lessons, all of which every educated student would received. The Church encouraged the completion of liberal arts education so strongly that one could not even be ordained a priest if they weren’t deemed proficient in what the Quadrivium demanded.16
The first discipline of the Quadrivium, arithmetic, focused on the qualities of numbers and their operations. When the Arabic notation gained popularity, its methodology was implemented into study, thus increasing the content and understanding of arithmetic.17 The Church had very specific requirements for a man to be deemed proficient in arithmetic. For example, unless a man was able to compute the date of Easter using the writings of the Venerable Bede, he would not be allowed to be ordained into the priesthood.18
The second aspect of the Quadrivium was music. At first, the extensive music courses aspired to produce worship music. Not only did these courses include composition of music, but also performance aspects. The invention and early use of the organ in the medieval churches caused the interest in music to increase.19
Geometry was a new academic aspect for the Medieval world. Up until the tenth century, medieval knowledge of geometry was extremely limited. The discipline focused on geographical and geometrical components. More specifically, the focus was towards the practical applications of surveying, map making, and architecture. The works of Ptolemy were the basis for instruction for geometry. From the work of Ptolemy came further understandings of botany, mineralogy, and zoology.20
The final aspect of the Quadrivium was the teachings of astronomy. However, is was more than understanding how to read the stars. At first, Astronomy was used for arranging the feast days and fast days for the church.17 It also included more complex mathematics and physics. The purpose here was to be able to create and predict the calendar for the church as well as the most advantageous times for harvesting and planting crops. For this discipline, the works of Ptolemy and Aristotle were studied.22
The Seven Liberal Arts. A previously forgotten, but important foundation to our modern-day educational system. The specific disciplines were great, not only from an academic stand point, but in the contributions they held for society. A lot has changed for academia since the medieval period, but if not for the work of our medieval forefathers, how academia changed towards our experiences in the modern day could have been very different.
- The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907, s.v. “The Seven Liberal Arts,” by Otto Willmann. ↵
- The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907, s.v. “The Seven Liberal Arts,” by Otto Willmann. ↵
- New World Encyclopedia, 2017, s.v. “The Seven Liberal Arts.” ↵
- S. E. Frost, Essentials of History of Education (New York: Barron’s Educational Series Inc, 1947), 73. ↵
- Patrick Joseph McCormick, “History of Education: A Survey of the Development of Educational Theory and Practice in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Times,” The Catholic Education Press (Washington DC, 1953), 235; The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907, s.v. “The Seven Liberal Arts,” by Otto Willmann. ↵
- Stephen Duggan, A Student’s Textbook In The History of Education (D. Appleton-Century Company), 82. ↵
- New World Encyclopedia, 2017, s.v. “The Seven Liberal Arts.” ↵
- Patrick Joseph McCormick, “History of Education: A Survey of the Development of Educational Theory and Practice in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Times,” The Catholic Education Press (Washington DC, 1953), 236. ↵
- Stephen Duggan, A Student’s Textbook In The History of Education (D. Appleton-Century Company), 82. ↵
- Patrick Joseph McCormick, “History of Education: A Survey of the Development of Educational Theory and Practice in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Times,” The Catholic Education Press (Washington DC, 1953), 236. ↵
- Patrick Joseph McCormick, “History of Education: A Survey of the Development of Educational Theory and Practice in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Times,” The Catholic Education Press (Washington DC, 1953), 236-237. ↵
- Stephen Duggan, A Student’s Textbook In The History of Education (D. Appleton-Century Company), 82. ↵
- Patrick Joseph McCormick, “History of Education: A Survey of the Development of Educational Theory and Practice in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Times,” The Catholic Education Press (Washington DC, 1953), 237. ↵
- The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907, s.v. “The Seven Liberal Arts,” by Otto Willmann. ↵
- New World Encyclopedia, 2017, s.v. “The Seven Liberal Arts.” ↵
- Patrick Joseph McCormick, “History of Education: A Survey of the Development of Educational Theory and Practice in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Times,” The Catholic Education Press (Washington DC, 1953), 237. ↵
- Stephen Duggan, A Student’s Textbook In The History of Education (D. Appleton-Century Company), 82. ↵
- Patrick Joseph McCormick, “History of Education: A Survey of the Development of Educational Theory and Practice in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Times,” The Catholic Education Press (Washington DC, 1953), 235. ↵
- Patrick Joseph McCormick, “History of Education: A Survey of the Development of Educational Theory and Practice in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Times,” The Catholic Education Press (Washington DC, 1953), 237. ↵
- Patrick Joseph McCormick, “History of Education: A Survey of the Development of Educational Theory and Practice in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Times,” The Catholic Education Press (Washington DC, 1953), 237-238. ↵
- Stephen Duggan, A Student’s Textbook In The History of Education (D. Appleton-Century Company), 82. ↵
- Patrick Joseph McCormick, “History of Education: A Survey of the Development of Educational Theory and Practice in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Times,” The Catholic Education Press (Washington DC, 1953), 239. ↵
This Post Has 50 Comments
Elizabeth Maguire
15 Sep 2019This article is very interesting and very informative. The roman empire has always been an empire in which I have been fascinated by. I wish we were taught more about philosophy and astrology today though if I am being honest. I find it interesting how each school was split into different subjects that really dove deep into the ‘foundation (ie math)’ of each school, allowing a deeper understanding rather than simply touching the particular subject, which I guess we do have today in a way.
Margaret Maguire
15 Sep 2019This was a really interesting article. I was familiar with the term liberal arts but not what it actually included. The Seven Liberal Arts are splits into two different categories, skills associated with writing and skills associated with math. I thought that the liberal arts were going to be art related skills like drawing or color theory not being able to do basic math or knowing what was proper grammar. I thought that was really neat.
Kristina Tijerina
15 Sep 2019This topic is super interesting considering that this is what our education today has developed from. There were many different subjects amongst the seven liberal arts and the way that each one was described in detail gives readers a good understanding of why these subjects were taught. I never really though much in depth about the term “liberal arts.” It’s super fascinating that this article has given so much background meaning the term as well as the subjects within this term. I enjoyed reading about the two separate branches, Trivium and Quadrivium, and learning about the history behind them.
Todd Brauckmiller
12 Sep 2019What keeps me thinking is just how crazy it is knowing how smart people were back then. The teachings from the Greeks and Romans created a new desire for learning more than just the basics, like learning logic. It just amazes me how they were able to think beyond what they physically see and think about how or why something happened. The point I’m trying to make is very difficult to explain but to sum it up I’m impressed with how serious they were about education. Really makes you wonder what would we be learning if it wasn’t the discover of the seven liberal arts.
Jake Mares
12 Sep 2019Although I have always heard about the “liberal arts,” I have never truly understood the term’s meaning or background. Such roots dating back to Varro are truly remarkable as I would not have guessed this concept was thought about as early as it was. This curriculum definitely has parallels to education as we know it, without some aspects like astronomy.
Edith Santos Sevilla
11 Sep 2019This topic is very interesting it connects the medieval studies to what we have today. It was a very informative article and it described in detail all of the information about the seven liberal arts. In my opinion is very interesting how back then Latin was an essential language as mentioned in the article, but things changed and it now Latin is a dead language. Overall the article is well written and even after some of the names are a little confusing the author did a job at explaining the differences between the Trivium and the Quadrivium and what each of them represent back then and now in the present when it comes to higher education.
Patricia Arechiga
11 Sep 2019When I say I am obsessed with history I truly mean it. I personally can not wrap my head around the fact that everything ties back to some form of historical setting. The roman empire has always been an empire in which I have been fascinated by. Despite the years, we still sustain the foundation of the seven liberal arts which can be seen as elementary, middle, high and college. Math, science, reading and writing were all implemented into the modern day curriculum after the seven liberal arts. I wish we were taught more about philosophy and astrology today though if I am being honest. I find it interesting how each school was split into different subjects that really dove deep into the ‘foundation (ie math)’ of each school, allowing a deeper understanding rather than simply touching the particular subject, which I guess we do have today in a way.
Victoria Davis
10 Sep 2019This article gives you a lot of insight on how our education system came to me. Not only are we serious about education in today’s world, but it was just as important back then too. It was so interesting how everything came to be and all that you can learn from this topic. Also seeing how education has evolved and how different it is today.
Amanda Quiroz
10 Sep 2019At some point of our lives we come across the words “liberal arts”. Some of us don’t even know what the term means. I’ve always thought of liberal arts as a whole. I never knew that it was divided among different branches. It’s amazing that it’s been around for so long and that we still carry it out in today’s time.
Nelly Perez
9 Sep 2019Since we are a liberal arts school, this was interesting to read. I got to understand what the subjects were and how they were described. I did not think music would be considered as a mathematical subject until it said it went into physics as well. Astronomy was more than the stars and I had no idea that they would use that method to plan feast days.