![]() His cloak was fastened by a golden buckle, and he appeared crowned with a diadem of gold and gems.” Charlemagne’s Death and SuccessionĮinhard wrote that Charlemagne was in good health until the final four years of his life, when he often suffered from fevers and acquired a limp. He was also no stranger to elegant indulgence: According to Einhard, “On great feast-days Charles made use of embroidered clothes, and shoes bedecked with precious stones. Aachen held particular appeal for him due to its therapeutic warm springs. Known to be highly energetic, he enjoyed hunting, horseback riding and swimming. In addition to learning, Charlemagne was interested in athletic pursuits. His palace there included a school, for which he recruited the best teachers in the land. ![]() Knights Templar Defend Holy Land Carolingian EmpireĬharlemagne ruled from a number of cities and palaces throughout the Carolingian Empire, but spent significant time in Aachen. He promoted education and encouraged the Carolingian Renaissance, a period of renewed emphasis on scholarship and culture.Ĭharlemagne also instituted economic and religious reforms, and was a driving force behind the Carolingian minuscule, a standardized form of writing that later became a basis for modern European printed alphabets. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.Īs Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne proved to be a talented diplomat and able administrator of the vast area he controlled. As a way to acknowledge Charlemagne’s power and reinforce his relationship with the church, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans and first ruler of the vast Holy Roman Empire on December 25, 800, at St. In his role as a zealous defender of Christianity, Charlemagne gave money and land to the Christian church and protected the popes. In the work, titled “Vita Karoli Magni (Life of Charles the Great),” he described Charlemagne as “broad and strong in the form of his body and exceptionally tall without, however, exceeding an appropriate measure…His appearance was impressive whether he was sitting or standing despite having a neck that was fat and too short, and a large belly.” Holy Roman Emperor He allegedly loved his daughters so much that he prohibited them from marrying while he was alive.Įinhard, a Frankish scholar and contemporary of Charlemagne, wrote a biography of the emperor after his death. He was reportedly a devoted father, who encouraged his children’s education. In his personal life, Charlemagne had multiple wives and mistresses and perhaps as many as 18 children. He eventually forced the Saxons to convert to Christianity, and declared that anyone who didn’t get baptized or follow other Christian traditions be put to death. In 782 at the Massacre of Verden, Charlemagne reportedly ordered the slaughter of some 4,500 Saxons. Soon after becoming king, he conquered the Lombards (in present-day northern Italy), the Avars (in modern-day Austria and Hungary) and Bavaria, among others.Ĭharlemagne waged a bloody, three decades-long series of battles against the Saxons, a Germanic tribe of pagans, and earned a reputation for ruthlessness. ![]() In order to carry out this mission, he spent the majority of his reign engaged in military campaigns. ![]() Once in power, Charlemagne sought to unite all the Germanic peoples into one kingdom, and convert his subjects to Christianity. The brothers had a strained relationship however, with Carloman’s death in 771, a 24-year-old Charlemagne became the sole ruler of the Franks. Similarly, little is known about the future ruler’s childhood and education, although as an adult, he displayed a talent for languages and could speak Latin and understand Greek, among other languages.ĭid you know? Charlemagne served as a source of inspiration for such leaders as Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) and Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), who had visions of ruling a unified Europe.Īfter Pepin’s death in 768, the Frankish kingdom was divided between Charlemagne and his younger brother Carloman. Charlemagne-sometimes referred to as Charles the Great-was born around 742, the son of Bertrada of Laon (d.783) and Pepin the Short (d.768), who became king of the Franks in 751.Ĭharlemagne’s exact birthplace is unknown, although historians have suggested Liege in present-day Belgium and Aachen in modern-day Germany as possible locations.
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