Cuaderna vía poetry was a high-culture literary by-product of the French monastic school, an academic institution that evolved over the course of the Middle Ages. The earliest French monastic schools were established in the fifth century, and their proliferation was encouraged by legislation issued by Charlemagne (b. 742–d. 814), which mandated a standardized curriculum in monastic schools. A surge in monastic foundations during the tenth century contributed to an amplification of monastic educational programs. The most important was the Benedictine monastery of Cluny in central France, which was established around 910 by William I (b. 875–d. 918), the Duque of Aquitaine. The fact that Cluny declared exclusive allegiance to the papacy helped to extend its influence internationally, well beyond that of other French monasteries. With papal support, Cluniac traditions were popularized by monks who travelled to other monasteries that were, on many occasions, officially annexed to Cluny. On other occasions, the influence of Cluny was extended indirectly. One example is St. Martin of Tournai, which traces its origins to the seventh century but which was refounded in the eleventh century as one of a number of monasteries that functioned according to a “Cluniac system […] for the proper administration of the monastery.” The association between Tournai and Cluny reflected a growing tendency toward adopting Cluniac norms, which encouraged the development within monasteries of intellectual pursuits. For example, among the monasteries that became Cluniac daughter houses, Saint-Bénigne, in Dijon, became a “widely influential center of monastic spirituality and education.” This was the historical moment when Cluniac education became normalized and centred on the practice of reading.

The availability of manuscripts enabled greater numbers of monks to participate in daily reading exercises that were required at Cluny according to Benedictine norms: