Charlemagne
Charlemagne was the king of the Franks and the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He united the greater part of the Western Europe and promoted the revival of the learning and the culture.
Early Life and Accession
Charlemagne was born in about 742, the son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada. He was the grandson of Charles Martel, the Frankish mayor of the palace.
He became the king of the Franks in 768 jointly with his brother Carloman. After the death of his brother in 771 he ruled alone.
He campaigned against the Saxons, the Lombards, and the Muslims. He extended the Frankish kingdom and the Christian faith.
The Conquests and the Empire
Charlemagne conquered the Lombard kingdom in Italy in 774. He took the title of the king of the Lombards.
He waged the long campaigns against the Saxons and converted them to the Christianity. The conquest was completed after the thirty years of the fighting.
He established the Spanish March against the Muslims in the south. He also expanded the kingdom into the Bavaria and the Central Europe.
He was crowned the emperor by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day in 800. The coronation revived the imperial title in the West.
The Revival of the Learning
Charlemagne promoted the revival of the learning known as the Carolingian Renaissance. He attracted the scholars to his court at Aachen.
The scholar Alcuin of York organised the palace school and the reform of the education. The reform established the curriculum of the liberal arts.
He promoted the copying of the manuscripts and the reform of the script. The Carolingian minuscule is the ancestor of the modern European scripts.
He issued the capitularies, the laws and the instructions for the administration. The reforms established the basis of the medieval government.
The Legacy
Charlemagne died in 814 at Aachen and was buried in the cathedral. He was succeeded by his son Louis the Pious.
His empire was divided among his grandsons by the Treaty of Verdun in 843. The division shaped the later states of France and Germany.
He is regarded as one of the greatest of the medieval rulers. The image of the father of Europe is the source of the continuing inspiration.
The Holy Roman Empire that he founded lasted until 1806. He is commemorated by the monuments and the institutions that bear his name.
The Administration and the Government
Charlemagne reformed the government of the Frankish kingdom. He appointed the counts and the officials for the local administration.
He established the missi dominici, the royal inspectors. They travelled the kingdom to check the conduct of the officials.
He issued the capitularies, the laws and the instructions. The reforms established the basis of the medieval government.
The Religion and the Church
Charlemagne promoted the Christian faith and the reform of the church. He supported the monasteries and the schools.
He was crowned the emperor by the pope in 800. The coronation revived the imperial title in the West.
He established the close alliance with the papacy. The alliance shaped the politics of the medieval Europe.
The Saxon Wars
Charlemagne waged the long campaigns against the Saxons. The conquest took more than thirty years.
He converted the Saxons to the Christianity by the force. He established the bishoprics and the monasteries in the conquered territory.
The resistance was led by the chief Widukind. He was defeated and baptised and the resistance ended.
The Coronation and the Empire
Charlemagne was crowned the emperor by Pope Leo III in 800. The coronation revived the imperial title in the West.
He established the close alliance with the papacy. The alliance shaped the politics of the medieval Europe.
He ruled the empire as the Christian emperor. He promoted the reform of the church and the education.
The Family and the Succession
Charlemagne had several wives and the many children. He divided the empire among the sons and the grandsons.
He was succeeded by his son Louis the Pious in 814. The empire was divided by the Treaty of Verdun in 843.
The division shaped the later states of France and Germany. He is regarded as the father of Europe.
The Legacy and the Influence
Charlemagne is regarded as the father of Europe. He united the Western Europe and promoted the revival of the learning.
The empire that he founded lasted for a thousand years. The title of the Holy Roman Emperor was held by the German kings.
He is commemorated by the monuments and the institutions. The image of the emperor remains a symbol of the European unity.
See also
- Holy Roman Empire
- Carolingian Renaissance
- Franks
- Aachen
References
- ↑ Einhard. The Life of Charlemagne. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1960.
- ↑ McKitterick, Rosamond. Charlemagne: The Formation of a European Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
- ↑ Barbero, Alessandro. Charlemagne: Father of a Continent. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004.
- ↑ Wilson, Derek. Charlemagne. New York: Doubleday, 2006.