While the Middle Ages often bears the title of being the darkest period in Europe’s history, at its dawn one Frankish ruler created a successful empire that flourished in the ashes of Rome. Charlemagne, the sole surviving son of King Pepin the Short, strove to create a great empire through the principles of conquer, christianize, and civilize. In doing so, a period of prosperity arose, known as the Carolingian Renaissance, which bred a unique system of politics, religion, and cultural atmosphere that would heavily influence the future of medieval Europe. However, without the lasting persona of Charlemagne, the empire ultimately failed, paving the way for Europe’s momentary downfall. When crafting his empire, Charlemagne’s primary focus was to conquer as much land as possible. As a result of expanding his territory he was obliged to develop a unique new political system in order to effectively rule over his …show more content…
For instance, the initial success of the empire depended heavily on Charlemagne personally, such as his energy, administrative talent, and non-divisive succession. However, after Charlemagne, under his less talented successor, the Frankish tradition of dividing lands and authority among the heirs of the throne continued. Similar to the Merovingian rulers, quarrels over territory sparked between the future generations, which lead to the davidson of political entities in Europe. Even if the tradition of divided succession did not continue, Charlemagne’s empire eventually became too large to be effectively governed. This downfall in manageability within the empire in turn sparked a deterioration in administrative machinery and communications in Europe, limiting the culture and enlightenment of the Middle