If historians are anything to go by, this will actually be the second Carolingian era the UK has seen. Just as the first and second Elizabethan eras refer to the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Elizabeth II, and the Victorian era refers to the reign of Queen Victoria, the Carolingian era refers to the reign of the new monarch, King Charles III. “Typically, you’ll often borrow from a Latin name, so Carolus is called Carolean not from the woman named Caroline but from the Latin word Charles, which is Carolus,” Daniel Woolf, a history professor at Queen’s University, told CTVNews. ca in a telephone interview on Friday. “Likewise, when James the First was on the throne, 1603-25, this is called the Jacobean age, because the Latin for James is Jacobus.” The first Carolingian era is actually associated with Charles II, who ruled from 1660 to 1685. The reign of Charles I, which ended abruptly with his execution in 1649, is commonly referred to as the Carolingian Age, based on the feminine form of the same name. According to Woolf, the practice by historians of labeling time periods after rulers facilitates the unification of these periods. “‘Victorian’ will find images of you, George Eliot and Thomas Hardy and industrialization and Dickens and all that,” he said. “If I say ‘Elizabethan’ – meaning the first Elizabeth – you’ll think of things like Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh, Shakespeare and all that.” Justin Vovk agrees. He is a PhD candidate in early modern history at McMaster University specializing in, among other things, royal funerals. In an interview with CTVNews.ca on Friday, he said it’s typical to define an era with a few key characteristics associated with a particular governor. “Historians like to give these names,” he said. “They like to tie up those loose ends and it allows people to have a microscope to look at her reign and pull out some key features that we can use to define this era.” As for how the second Carolingian era will be defined compared to the second Elizabethan era, Vovk said it’s still too early to say, but he has some ideas. First, he believes that the period that ended with the death of Queen Elizabeth II could be defined by rapid technological development, globalization, the rise of mass media and social media, and the monarchy’s efforts to navigate these things, all while trying to stay relevant. “I think (King Charles III’s) will be a period where we really see the monarchy come into the 21st century. I think we will see the first major eco-friendly and sustainable initiatives within the monarchy and I think this is the period that will mark the streamlining of the royal family,” he said. “At the moment, it’s hard to try to determine things, especially when we’re a week into the new reign. It will be encouraging to see what happens in the months after the funeral, when the mourning periods are over and once we get to the new coronation.” Meanwhile, both Vovk and Woolf agree that there are some short-term changes audiences can expect to see soon, which will mark a new era. From changing the portraits that hang in schools, courts and arenas to minting new coins and issuing new Royal Warrants, the face of the monarchy is changing. With files from Solarina Ho
