Charlemagne, also known as “Charles the Great” is a significant figure in the history of Europe. Son of Pepin the Short, Charlemagne set out to be a great ruler. “The age of Charlemagne” as it was so called, started after the result of missions among Pagans. During his ruling he did some beneficial things for his people, but in the end mostly bad things. At first he was thought to be a great ruler and then people really started to dislike him. Due to a great deal of dreadful things he did to his own people, Charlemagne the “Great” became the “tyrant” after countless slaughters resulting from his attempt to Christianize his empire, which led to his descent in public opinion. . (A+E Networks. Charlemagne. http://www.history.com/topics/charlemagne. …show more content…
With all that power Charlemagne was well respected, or so it seemed. Along with all that power came a heavy dosage of megalomania after he was consumed with his own lust to have complete power over the Holy Roman Empire. And with his father being the previous King of the Franks, he grew up learning how to rule and probably had his plans from a young age to seize the throne. One would think with how popular he was that Charlemagne would gain the support from his people. In some cases yes, and others no. He had a very strong feeling about religion and once he became king he definitely made it a “his way or the highway” deal. During that period in time, religion was a major factor in an empire. Rulers would always try to control what you believed in and if they didn’t like it, it was either change your way to their beliefs, or be killed. It seems a little abysmal, but sadly that’s how it was back then The social norms of the early era of the Holy Roman Empire are severely alien from what the Western World deems to be moral in modern day standards. Now with that said, it is no surprise that Charlemagne would behave in such a way. He tried to convert his subjects to Christianity, and if they didn’t conform in a sense, for example get baptized, then they would be killed. Just as it is and almost always has been, religion is a highly volatile …show more content…
Even now, many countries don’t allow the freedom that exists in the US. Charlemagne also (reportedly) ordered the slaughter of 4,500 Saxons. They were trying to fight for their right and take over because they were tired of adhering to his policies and would rather face death than stand by idly having to worship as he wished. Charlemagne resented the Saxons for the uprising, he is the king so everyone who is against him is guilty of treason against the King, and therefore, must die. Eventually, he forced the Saxons to convert to Christianity, or what was left of them. Beheading 4,500 Saxons because they didn’t want to share the same beliefs is quite frankly (Oh Yes I did make that pun, also delete this part) beyond insane. One interesting fact about Charlemagne, is that he served as a source of inspiration for Napoleon and Hitler. Maybe Charlemagne wanted to be remembered as an emperor that would have prefered to rule by fear than by
On Christmas day, December 25th, 800, Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Romans after the mysterious death of his brother. It is believed that Charlemagne was involved with the death of his brother to get control of the empire. He would become one of the most illuminating figures of the Dark Ages. His reign lasted for 46 years, during that he would accomplish things thought impossible during the Dark Ages. During that 46 year reign, he launched 15 military campaigns to expand his empire. His campaigns were very successful leading to the Holy Roman Empire to be largest empire since the Roman age. Charlemagne was the only king of his empire, and he made his grip firm on the empire by dividing it into 350 counties. He established many schools
Sypeck, gave a very good overview of the accomplishments of Charlemagne, even though he may have glorified him a little more than necessary, but his accomplishments were quite extravagant. However the author left out bad things such as, how Charlemagne had tribes of local Germans killed. The author gave a large amount of information on the other kingdoms of that time, almost as much as he did on Charlemagne. He did however, show how one man could influence so many people even hundreds of years later.
Charlemagne as emperor was a zealous defender of Christianity. He gave money and land to the Christian church and protected the popes. To acknowledge Charlemagne's power and reinforce his relationship with the church. On December 25,800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans.
Einhard’s The Life of Charlemagne is one of several prominent texts from Mediaeval Europe. The main focus of the text is on the life of Charlemagne, the Frankish king from the Carolingian dynasty. Under his rule, the Frankish kingdom experiences an extensive period of prosperity and growth, especially in intellectually related areas since Charlemagne himself is a well-known patron of the arts (#). Hence, Charlemagne is the ruler often credited for the “Roman revival” across Mediaeval Europe. In order to ensure that Charlemagne’s glorious reign will leave its mark in history, all of Charlemagne’s works and accomplishments are accounted for Einhard’s book. As expressed in the preface of the book, Einhard’s intention is to document the life of the greatest king that is often overlooked in other texts (*). Four essential facts are noted in The Life of Charlemagne: 1) The prevalence of alliances & foreign relations 2) Cultural revolution through public works & endorsement of the arts 3) Promotion of the Christian faith 4) Public reforms throughout the state. The Frankish kingdom rises as the dominant post-Roman European entity through the political and economical stabilization of the state with the use of foreign alliances. Emperor Charlemagne is said to have close relations with Kings of Persia, Scotland, and Constantinople (*). Prosperity in the Frankish kingdom is due to the frequent correspondences that exist between these European states, further promoting the flow of
Charlemagne in the historical context made many contributions to the modern world as well as the Carolingian dynasty during his reign. After his father passed away, he united the Franks and went to several conquest to expand his kingdom in 768 (Coffin, 176). Charlemagne was believed to be a very serious Christian king. In one of the longest conquest in Saxon, which lasted about 20 years, he had forced conversion to all the people who
The most famous work about Charlemagne is a book entitled The Two Lives of Charlemagne which consists of two separate biographies published into one book and tells the story of Charlemagne's life as two different people experienced it. Apart from this, there are many other places you can turn to learn more about the life of the king of the Franks, including letters, capitularies, inventories, annals, and more. However, each of these sources seem to paint a different picture of Charlemagne. In one, he seems to be a very average guy; in another, a mythical being, almost god-like; and a strong and firm political leader in yet another. It is because of this of this that we will never really know exactly who Charlemagne was or what he was
Charlemagne is described by Janet Nelson as being a role model for Einhard. Einhard himself writes in the first paragraph of The Life of Charlemagne, “After I decided to write about the life, character and no small part of the accomplishments of my lord and foster father, Charles, that most excellent and deservedly famous king, I determined to do so with as much brevity as I could.” I feel that these are sincere words about the man who cared for Einhard. I feel that Einhard’s purpose for writing The Life of Charlemagne is to praise the works of his “foster-father” and create a historical document that would describe the great deeds of Charlemagne so that he would not be forgotten throughout time as a great leader and man.
Charlemagne is considered the greatest ruler of the Carolingian Dynasty because of the actions he took to bring Europe out of turmoil. He was determined to improve education and religion. To do this, he launched a thirty-year military campaign of conquests the united Europe and spread Christianity. Charlemagne is known for his many reforms, including the economy, education and government administration. His rule spurred the Carolingian Renaissance, a period of energetic cultural and intellectual activity within the Western church.
Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great and Charles I, was not only a king of France, but a commanding historical figure. Charlemagne is believed to have been born sometime around the year 742. He became King of the Franks in 768 and went on to become the Emperor of the Carolingian Empire in 800, before his death in 814.
Charlemagne, the greatest king of the dark ages, shaped the standards of Europe and influenced the people for thousands of years, solidifying the idea that the dark ages weren’t so dark. After the death of his father, Frankish king Pippin III, in 768, the realm was divided into two sections. Charlemagne and his brother, Carloman, both received the sections, and a feud started almost immediately. When Carloman died in 771, Charlemagne took control of both sections in hopes of reuniting the Frankish realm. He was king of the Franks from 768-814, and he was also the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 800-814 (Frassetto). Because of his generosity, attractive personality, and need for knowledge, Charlemagne was a very respected leader. During his reign, he was able to conquer and gain control over almost all of the mainland of Europe. Though it took over 50 battles to do so, he was able to unite a large portion of
After reading two versions of “The Life of Charlemagne”, one written by a person who lived with Charlemagne, and one who didn’t, it is evident that Charlemagne is portrayed in a negative way by the author, the Monk of St. Gall, and in a positive way by Einhard. Einhard was very close to Charlemagne. He lived at the same time and with Charlemagne himself. His version of “The Life of Charlemagne” was writing right after his death. The Monk of St. Gall wrote his version more than 70 years after Charlemagne’s death. He did not live with or even at the same time as Charlemagne. This is probably one of the reasons the view on the ruler are completely different.
We now leave this in-depth description of Charlemagne given by Einhars, and take a look at a new essay by Fichtenau entitled "A New Portrait of Charlemagne." Instead of describing Charlemagne as Einhard does, we find that Fichtenau's essay rather rebuilds Charlemagne. Fichtenau talks about how things like his personality were strung together in the wrong way by Einhard. He talks about how his personality is predictable, because all Emperors must have the same values. He talks of how in generosity, as Einhard's description showed as being out of the kindness of his heart, was actually a result of what actions would follow his generous jesters. Fichtenau uses his whole essay to rebuild Charlemagne to what kind of ruler he believes he is. He does say that without the great ruling and personality of Charlemagne, then it would have taken generations for this empire to reach its peak. "What remains is
Charlemagne had to govern a system that needed an organized structure in order to be successful. The stability that was the Roman Empire was gone; such things as structured law, roads, and education had plummeted significantly. Charlemagne had to figure out how to create a better system in which to rule. Charlemagne was also very religious, and desired to rule a Christian Kingdom, and that in part that helped in coming up with a unified goal. Most of his priests were illiterate, and needed and education in order for Charlemagne’s religious message to come out unified. At this point, before Charlemagne rolled out his plan, many had either different takes on religion or followed an inconsistent one. He built schools and brought many people from
Mr. Charlemagne was a fantastic king especially to everyone around him. In his government he continued his administrative machinery from his predecessors. Conquered people were told to
The fall of Western Roman Empire in late 5th century led to its vast territory being divided in numerous kingdoms without any central authority. Charlemagne became the King of the Franks in 768. He then successfully led a series of campaigns throughout his reign to unite most of Western Europe under a sole emperor for the first time since the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The expanded Frankish state Charlemagne founded was called the Carolingian Empire.