Charles The Great Accomplishments

Both Charles the Great (Charlemagne) and Louis IX of France (St. Louis) ruled over France and unified the nation through troubling times. Starting with Charlemagne, born in 742 and who ruled the Frankish Kingdom from 768 to 814 A.D., was called the Emperor of the Romans and was considered by many historians to have created prosperity for Europe in what were considered the “Dark Ages”. A few of his accomplishments included uniting most of Western Europe, becoming the first Holy Roman Emperor, and encouraging stability and growth, all of which changed the way of life in Europe for the centuries to come. What is recorded of these historical events is a little a convoluted but still recorded nonetheless by the Carolingians through annals closely

One was his relentlessness shown in the Aquitaine and Lombard Wars where he refused to end the war until all the issues were addressed. Another was Charlemagne’s patience, shown in his Saxon campaign which lasted for more than thirty years and involved constant struggle, as stated by Einhard, “he did not abandon any war that had been begun or accomplished either because of the effort or the danger, but he learned to undergo and endure each according to its nature” (Einhard 24). Through constant war and political strife, Charles would manage to nearly double the size of the Frankish lands throughout his reign and would also accrue the respect of the neighbors surrounding the kingdom and even nations far off, including Persia (Einhard

His mother would be a key figure in French politics and bear influence over Louis until her death in 1252. France would soon face greater threats to its stability and prosperity after Louis reached adulthood. France was invaded by an English army led by King Henry III who had helped start a rebellion with Poitou’s Barons to take back English provinces lost in previous wars. The small war would cumulate into the Battle of Taillebourg where both French and English troops intercepted each other at the Bridge of Taillebourg on the Charente River. Although not much is spoke of Louis’s stratagem in war, he did however fight alongside his men in the Battle of Taillebourg and as the English noticed the King in battle, they fled for it was God’s Will (Joinville 171). Following the battle, King Henry III signed the treaty of Paris, ceding Normandy, Touraine and Anjou to France, along with the King of England being declared a vassal of France, thus confirming Philip II’s