Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, ruled the Franks from 768–814 A.D. He was a kindhearted man, who also a merciless warrior. Charlemagne was resolved to expand his kingdom to a grandiose empire, which he completed especially well. He also converted the nation to Christianity and the nation’s customary language to Latin. People thought he ruled with the sword and with the cross.
By 800 B.C. Charlemagne created a fairly large empire. Also in 800 B.C "Charles the Great'' was crowned by pope Leo the III. He also kept close ties to his government's and church. " Chalemagne king of the Franks became the most popular leader in Western Europe. Charlemagne was the most important ruler in Dark Ages Europe because he attempted to make the Franks and Europeans better
He made Christianity a central part of the kingdom, and often devoted himself to repairing the sacred places and building up those in charge of them. As he held religion to such a high importance, it is likely that Charlemagne believed that he was doing good by converting the
There are many examples in the document that reinforce Charlemagne’s status as a Christian warrior, particularly in his use of oaths and relics. First, Charlemagne’s war victories that were “…most skillfully planned and successfully fought...,” led him to the expansion of the Frank kingdom. He was also favored by the surrounding nations which helped the kingdom expansion by double. Charlemagne also valued his friendships with other kings or emperors in the area. It is stated that he left cities on the coast to the Greek Emperor for the sake of their friendship, “and because of the treaty that he had made with him”.
Author of the book, Becoming Charlemagne, by Jeff Sypeck provides a clear glimpse into the life of one of the world’s greatest kings and ruler and later emperor Charlemagne, otherwise known as Karl or Charles the Great. Sypeck creates a vivid and strong look into the time of Charlemagne, early medieval Europe and some other important world leaders, including Pope Leo III, Irene the Byzantine emperor, Alcuin the scholar and Harun al-Rashid ruler of Baghdad. These figures are crucial to the story of Karl becoming Charlemagne, and their stories included in the book help form and symbolize Charlemagne the Ruler. Understanding Charlemagne and early medieval Europe is presented vibrantly throughout the book by in-depth stories, facts and a clear
Charlemagne was also known as Charles the Great. He was king of the Franks and he united the majority of Western Europe during the early Middle Ages. On top of that, he laid the foundations for modern France and Germany. He attempted to unite all Germanic peoples into one kingdom and convert his subjects to Christianity. Being a skilled military strategist, he spent much of his reign in warfare so that he could manage to accomplish his goals. Because of his position, he encouraged the Carolingian Renaissance.
Primary Source Paper 2 The Life of Charlemagne was written by Einhard a little after Charlemagne death in 814. Einhard wrote the biography to make sure that Charlemagne’s legacy would not be forgotten. He would list many points in this biography, but I’ve decided to only point out three of them. These three chapters are his deeds, his family life, and his life with the Christian religion.
When Charlemagne ascended the throne and had full control of the empire, he wanted to not only rule both his people and Romans, he was also interested in his people and the ones he conquered to convert to Christianity. (Pages 258-259). Charlemagne exceedingly cared about government as much as he cared about religion, which is why one of the things he did when first became an emperor was to make sure that the Pope Hadrian I, got his land back from the Lombard Kingdom and he has also helped the Pope on countless occasions. (Pg. 259). Yes, Charlemagne was truly successful in linking religion and governing, his people or the Romans did not rebel against him and during his ruling he was able to offer people opportunities to learn and deepen their understanding of the Christian faith.
As an official in the palace and one of the king’s friends, Einhard had one of the best possible views of Charlemagne and his rule. In this “public history of this most distinguished and deservedly most famous king” (Einhard 51), Einhard writes to Charlemagne’s descendants and the rest of posterity about the fame of the Frankish Empire and to preserve the memory of its mightiest ruler. Einhard is an extremely biased author, however. Once upon a time, Charlemagne offered shelter and kindness to Einhard in his court, and in return Einhard ignored the more shocking facts about Charlemagne, like his true motives in practicing Catholicism and his dysfunctional family, specifically his daughters and grandchildren, even after Charlemagne’s death in
Charlemagne who was also known as Charles the Great, was the king of the Frankish Empire and later the Holy Roman Empire during the 8th and 9th centuries. He was known to most for his intelligence, political awareness and dedication to religion. But some opposing views also regarded him as ruthless, cold and heartless.
Charlemagne gave Carolingians a cultural reform by bringing unity in Western Empire. He brought stability in Europe and united France that made him the “Patron of Rome, Guardian of Roman church, and defender of the faith.” Both Alexander the Great and Charlemagne brought change to their country and honor to their countrymen. But it was the demonstration of their military superiority and skillful tactics and strategies that one of them truly deserve the title of “the Great.” Alexander’s leadership skills became apparent when he defeated the Maedi when he was only sixteen.
Charlemagne was the one of the great rulers of early European history. He was the King of the Franks in the 8th century and facilitated great expansion of his empire through conquest and diplomacy. Einhard was a monk who lived under Charlemagne’s rule, and, in a glowing light, he wrote a biography of Charlemagne. Einhard describes many of Charlemagne’s achievements, and he also writes about Charlemagne’s character. Einhard believed Charlemagne was a great leader because of his military success, his beautification of the kingdom, and his exceptional character qualities.
Charlemagne In the mid 800’s Einhard wrote The Life of Charlemagne. It was an accurate portrayal of character as well as honesty during a period of time where distortion was a common theme. Einhard was extremely biased in his favor of the patron. He claimed that after the last Merovingian King fell, there was no more power within the dynasty.
Among the final admonitions of his father, as recounted by Thegan in his Life of Louis, Louis was advised to: “Show unfailing mercy to his younger brothers and sisters, his nephews, and all his relatives.” Then he (Charlemagne) directed Louis to honor the bishop as fathers, to love the people as sons, to compel and direct haughty and worthless men into the ways of salvation, and to be a consoler of monks and a father to the poor. Louis was further advised “to appoint faithful and God-fearing ministers (bishops mainly), who would hold unjust gifts in loathing.” The exhortation of Charlemagne to his son greatly influenced his life and beliefs. De Jong makes the argument that kingship was conceived of as a sacred task (ministerium), shared with the various ordinances in the realm, bishops and counts first and foremost.
Greatness conjures up various thoughts for modern people such as a strong, smart, kind, and/ or heroic individual due to pop culture. In general greatness refers to some person, place, or thing that is beyond the realm of mediocracy. During the early middle ages two different kings were referred to as great by their people Charlemagne king of the Franks from 768-814 and Alfred king of the Anglo-Saxons from 871-899. During the middle ages the criteria for greatness could include a kings contributions to education, his dedication to religion, and/or his success in warfare. Education is a highly regarded matter that kings took interest in to further themselves and certain classes within their kingdom.
