Development of mathematics in Europe between 550-1050 A.D

Question

I'm trying to search for any kind of development in the mathematics (science, astronomy, even astrology or other kind of early studies that envolve any kind of math) expecially in early england and in the carolingian empire.

The problem I have is that it seams that math died in there: every work seems to be related to arabic, or chinese or indian work in the area. In science I'm looking and nothing seems to appears. So I've the main question:

Is there any reference, article, name of scientis of mathematician, book, page, etc. that can bring contributions to math history in england or in the carolingian empire between 550 and 1050 A.D? Even the e-mail of someone who is a expeciallist in the area could work as a fruitfull answer

thanks for future answers or critics.

Answer 1

It is believed that Alcuin of York (c. 735 - 804 AD) is the author of Propositiones ad Acuendos Juvenes, a collection of 53 recreational problems, some of them well known.

Another topic to look into is calendar mathematics, which was important in this time period. According to Victor Katz, Charlemagne recommended that Church Schools include the mathematics necessary for Easter computation.

Answer 2

For mathematics to have died in England it should have been alive there in the first place - I wonder what you have in mind to back up this claim of yours. This being said, see Howson's book A History of Mathematics Education in England. In the preface hw writes:

• "We cannot be certain exactly when mathematics first was taught in England, but Bede (674-735) in his Ecclesiastical History tells how Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury in the late seventh century, and his deacon, Hadrian, gathered a crowd of disciples . . . and . . . taught them the art of ecclesiastical poetry, astronomoy and arithmetic."

Since Greek mathematics had fallen into oblivion in the Roman Empire, all that was available until the discovery of Arabic manuscripts were the Books by Boethius, which consisted of a few propositions from Euclid's first book and parts of the Arithmetic of Nikomachus.