Who Is Charlemagne A Good Leader

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. The beginning portion of Einhard’s Life of Charlemagne describes a series of wars and conquests that built up the Frankish empire. The Bavarian war, the Saxon war, and the

Einhard describes Charlemagne as a humble leader with several pieces of evidence. The first is that Charlemagne would wear the clothes of the common man. He would wear the “national dress”, which consisted of linen pants and shirt (Einhard 318). This is in contrast to earlier leaders who were deified and wore the most expensive garb available, such as Augustus. Charlemagne also was extremely generous to those in need around his kingdom, and even to Christians that lived in other parts of the world. Einhard believes these characteristics of Charlemagne connect him to his people, and thus allow him to rule effectively. The humbleness of Charlemagne most likely stems from his involvement with the Christian religion. According to Einhard Charlemagne was a fervent worshipper and practitioner of Christianity, “he was a constant worshipper at this church as long as his health permitted, going morning and evening, even after nightfall” (Einhard 319). One of the many tenants of Christianity is to give to poor; Charlemagne is a firm believer and so he gives often. His faith also was a component in the buildings he constructed; he tended to focus on repairing and erecting edifices with religious significance, such as the church at Aix-la-Chapelle. Einhard believes Charlemagne’s faith in the Lord led to many positive developments for the Frankish