The dark ages, a time period spanning from 500 AD until 1500 AD, is commonly perceived as the worst time in history, solely because of its name. When asked “What is the dark ages generally known for?” many people respond with the black plague or great famines. The main reason for this title is in fact due to a lack of written records and documents lost to history. In reality, the dark ages were not really that dark because a humanitarian king shaped European ideals, religion kept culture alive, and many historical and scientific progressions occurred.
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
Charlemagne had to govern a vast system and needed an organized structure in order to govern easier. The relative stability that was there when the roman empire was gone, all was gone. They had to figure out how to create systems. Charlemagne was very religious, and that was a binding. Charlemagne wanted to rule a Christian kingdom. Most of the priests were illiterate, needed to educate so the message came out right. AT this point all different tribes had different ways of religion. The priestly class needed to be educated. He built school, and brought many people from around the world.
The life of Charlemagne is one of historical and utter greatness. He ruled in a time of turmoil and disorder during middle ages in Europe. The successes of his past lineage prepared and propelled him to take on the tremendous task of expanding, governing and reforming the Frankish Empire. Charlemagne incredible accomplishment during his sovereignty. For he not only invented an efficient way to govern his people call feudalism, he also created a way to keep the loyalty to his empire through inspectors. He led countless conquests against the various adversaries that once opposed the Holy Roman Empire, which expanded his empire across the greater half of Europe. With his grand conquests a solidification between the Catholic Church and the State began to take hold. Charlemagne being a keen individual saw great opportunity within the partnership with the Church especially ones of the monasteries. Using them to usher in the Carolingian renaissance. The crowning of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor fashioned a turning point that would forever change the path of Europe. Within years after his death, though, Charlemagne once boundless empire wasted away. Charlemagne’s reign indeed greatly influenced the course of Europe in ways he had only hoped it would. But as history often shows for every one event there are often several incantations and interpretations. Charlemagne reign is definitely not an exception to the rule, his tale is presented in two biographies; the first version is titled ‘Life of Charlemagne’ which was
Charlemagne’s rule lasted from 768-814 AD. He was king of the Franks from 768-814, king of the Lombards from 774-814, and Emperor of the Romans from 800-814. He expanded the Frankish Kingdom that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus by Pope Leo III. He was born into a great family; both his father and grandfather were rulers of the Franks before him. Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of the Romans in the year 800, and he proved himself as a great ruler throughout his reign. He began the Carolingian Renaissance, a revival of art, religion, culture, and education. He saw the need to expand education, and so throughout his life he worked hard to do so. Throughout
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 Carolingian Empire was a brainy and cultural revival that had started during the power of Charlemagne in the late 8th century; this only lasted till the Charlemagne empire lapsed at about the end of the 9th century. In Europe, it was majority Christian, and it went beyond just church matters, the Christian church with the help of Charlemagne became the foundation for the rise of the western civilization in Europe in the 8th century. Before this, there was no central power, so the church stepped up into the power void. At this time the church becomes more political. Charlemagne was the leading person in the development of what soon became modern Europe, and he also unified the church and the state at the time. Charlemagne and the church
After Rome crumbled in the fifth century, Europe was on the brink of going into their fourth century of the Dark Ages. Charlemagne was determined to unite and christianize the Germanic kingdoms of Europe. He lived in a time in which the Germanic groups who inhabited Europe remained disorganized and had no central authority (Ann 1). Through many battles and years of war, he reached his destination of unifying Europe. Charlemagne deserves the title “Father of Europe” after he unified his kingdom and set a precedent for his successors.
Once there was a king named Charlemagne, who founded the Holy Roman Empire and also defeated many warriors. Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, was religious and kind but also a ruthless warrior. He strongly desired to expand his extravagant empire and spread Christianity. He is believed to have ruled “by the sword and the cross.” He fought for thirty years in many wars. Around the time of the 800s, Charles’ empire was declared the largest empire since Ancient Rome, because it covered almost all of Western Europe. This is one of the many reasons he was titled Charles the Great.
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
Any piece of history, be it small or large or influential or not, can be twisted and turned into depicting the best or the worst or whatever is in between. Between Einhard and Notker, humorously known as Notker the Stammerer, the life of Charlemagne was told with the most celebratory of voices, as well as with the most candid. Einhard’s approach to the biography of Charlemagne was like that of a friend – he was blunt and frank and described Charlemagne as who he was, human and all; Notker, however, approached the story of Charlemagne’s life as if it was a life to be celebrated and cherished. Ultimately, though, both men came to the same conclusion within their sections of Charlemagne’s life: both men agreed that Charlemagne was a man to be
Charlemagne ruled for forty-six years from 768-814 AD when he died. Many consider him as the single most reason for why Europe’s economic life
We as a society see the history of Europe as if it had taken off with the Renaissance. Typically, the timeframe of the Early Middle Ages, from around 500 A.D. to 1500 A.D., is seen through the perspective that common advances such as education and cultural growth were slim to none. For this reason, the period is known as the Dark Ages. The span of time was initially labeled as such simply due to bias towards Latin literature at the time, and the reasons for the name snowballed. However, the coined term could not be more misleading or further from the truth. This is because the ‘Dark Ages’ were actually a point in Europe’s history awash with forward movement and achievements such as: the birth of universities, increasing fairness of laws, and an
Recognized during the reign of Charlemagne (742-814) the transition from culturally classic, to early medieval civilization was completed. Reigning more than 40 years, Charlemagne created a new European civilization existed. Stability was the cornerstone of Charlemagne's rule. Harmony was his reigning philosophy that included three elements: Christianity, the Germanic way of life, and the Roman past. Charlemagne devotion to his entire reign, blended these three important elements into a single kingdom, European society was developed on this foundation.
Charlemagne, also known as Karl I or Charles the great [1] was the king of the Frankish (the Germanic peoples of France, west Germany and North Italy). He took the throne in 768 A.D after the death of his father Pepin the short, with his brother Carloman as co-ruler. He became king of Italy in 774 after his conquest of the Lombard kingdoms and after 800 A.D he was proclaimed the ‘Emperor of the Romans’ by the Pope Leo III. This marks the peak of the Carolingian empire that Charlemagne founded [2], which covered vast swathes of western Europe and was the largest Christian kingdom of the time (1,112,000 square kilometers) [3]. Through Charlemagne’s exceptional drive and vision to unite his people under a common religion and state [4], Christianity’s dominance of the west and its survival was ensured. Called the father of Europe (pater Europa) [5] because of his role in founding the major kingdoms of mainland Europe and because of his role in the Carolingian Renaissance [6] that revitalised Europe’s cultural and economic strength. Many Manuscripts written by scholars and monks such as Einhard (in vita Karoli Magni), deal with Charlemagne’s rise to prominence and his conquests.
Charlemagne (742-814) also known as Charles the Great, was the king of the Franks, from 768-814, and emperor of the West, from 800-814. He was founder of the Holy Roman Empire, stimulated European economic and political life, and fostered the cultural revival known as the Carolingian Renaissance.
Charlemagne’s legacy as a great military leader as well as king began shortly after becoming king, the Saxons decided to seek revenge for the attack by the Franks in 772 and destroyed numerous Christian churches while Charlemagne was trying to conquer the Lombard kingdom (Becher, pg. 60). Charlemagne’s obligation as the protector of Rome and the