preview

Charlemagne : The Greatest King Of The Dark Ages

Decent Essays
Open Document

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 to 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 respectable 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 the continent. Charlemagne made trading much easier by putting Europe on a common silver currency. Because of this king’s love and interest in learning, he encouraged an education for everyone. Charlemagne also had a very religious presence in society and aided in the spread of Christianity over Europe. Pope Leo III even pronounced him as the first emperor of Europe since the fall of the Rome because of his many achievements with religion (Whipps). After Charlemagne’s death in 814, Europe slowly began to fall apart again, but at the time, he

Get Access