Western History 57: Who was Charlemagne?

Charlemagne (also known as Charles the Great) was the greatest of the Early Middle Ages sovereigns. He was the grandson of Charles Martel (whose forces defeated the Muslim Invaders in Tours in 732 CE) and the son of Pepin the Short. Charlemagne lived between 742 (?) and 814 reigning as Holy Roman Emperor from 800-814.

He expanded the Frankish State under the vanguard of the Carolingian Empire so that at its height it comprised the modern day territories of  France, Northern and Central Italy, the Low Countries, Most of Germany, Austria, Hungary  and Switzerland. His domain included the cities of Paris, Toulouse, Aachen and Rome and represented the largest contiguous region controlled by a single monarch since the Age of the Western Roman Empire.

Charlemagne was both an astute military commander and a tremendous champion of European culture – art, writing and biblical scholarship.

In 771 Charlemagne became sole ruler of the Frankish kingdom following the death of his brother Carloman. Three years later he answered a plea from the Pope to come to the latter’s aid against the Lombards and did so successfully. In 775 he attacked the Saxons and in 778 waged war in Spain (an episode immortalized in the famed Song of Roland literature).  By 783 Charlemagne had finally crushed the Saxons and followed on this success by defeating the Bavarians in 788 and the Avars (791-796) adding their territory in Hungary and Austria to his realm.

The papacy came under pressure in 799 resulting in a brutal attack on the pope Leo III. Charlemagne backed up the Pope against charges of mass conspiracy and for his support was crowned Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day in 800. This represented the only time in history when the Pope bowed before an earthly ruler.

Charlemagne died in 814 and was succeeded by his son Louis the Pious. Louis would rule until 840 eventually dividing the large kingdom among his three sons Lothair I, Louis II and Charles the Bald. What emerged from this division were the archetypes of the countries of Italy, France and Germany.