Script Types
Caroline Minuscule or Carolingian Minuscule is the primary script of the early Middle Ages. Created in the late eighth century, it was the official book script in Charlemagne’s empire. The combination of the majuscules, or capital letters, and minuscules, or small letters, are attributed mainly to the Carolingian script. A sense of clarity was achieved with rounded letter forms and generous spacing between words.
Pre-Gothic:
Gradually, scribes began making Caroline letters more angular, as a series of broken strokes, rather than smooth, flowing strokes. They also began a practice known as "biting", in which adjoining letters with rounded parts (bows) would be shoved together so that the bows touched one another. This script is usually known as Protogothic or Pre-Gothic because it is a transitional script from Caroline minuscule to Gothic minuscule.
Gothic
From the middle of the eleventh century, Caroline Minuscule began to include new letter variations. By 1100, the number of letter variants grew so much that the script no longer resembled Caroline. These changes led to the second major book script of the Middle Ages: Gothic. The Gothic script was adopted from (1075-1225).
During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the increase in demand for books required efficient production. Caroline Minuscule, though legible, was time-consuming to produce. The shortage of parchment and its overall expense meant that the space on a page was very important. Caroline requires a lot of space due to its large and wide letter forms. In contrast, Gothic is narrow and angular allowing for words to be compacted and abbreviated.
Gothic Rotunda:
Gothic Rotunda was favored in Italy through the 15th century as a less formal version of the Gothic script. Rotunda is characterized by rounded serifs (feet) at the top and bottom of letter forms. The letters are more condensed than Carolingian script and have calligraphic curves. The strokes change from thick to thin depending on the direction of the pen nib.
Later Developments:
The final development of Gothic was the appearance of hybrid scripts in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, in which cursive and calligraphic elements were mixed. The quality of the book, its purpose, date, and origin impacted the appearance of a script. The more expensive books generally had more uniformity and clarity in the script. Paleographers use a variety of Latin terms to identify Gothic variations (textura, bastarda, cursiva, rotunda, quadrata etc.) and also their degrees of formality.
Bibliography:
Conservation Departments at Yale University Library, Feb. 2015, https://travelingscriptorium.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/binding-booklet-2015.pdf.
Diringer, David, and David R. Olson. “Later Development of the Latin Alphabet.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/alphabet-writing/Later-development-of-the-Latin-alphabet#ref512723.
Gothic Script or Gothic Minuscule. 2012, http://paleography-hexe.co.uk/gothic_minuscule/index.html.
Gothic Textura Quadrata and Rotunda. 1999, https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/users/yorkdoom/palweb/week13/palwk13x.htm.
Jutzi, Karen. Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts: Bookbinding Terms, Materials, Methods, and Models. Preservation and
“Rotunda.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rotunda-calligraphy.
“The Black-Letter, or Gothic, Style (9th to 15th Century).” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/art/calligraphy/The-black-letter-or-Gothic-style-9th-to-15th-century#ref512981.
“The Gothic Explosion.” School of Advanced Study, University of London, https://port.sas.ac.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=1123&chapterid=666.