Charlemagne, Charles I Or Charles The Great

1421 Words3 Pages

Charlemagne
Charlemagne, Charles I, or Charles the Great was a Frankish King that ruled over the Frankish Carolingian Empire. He achieved four monarchial titles during his time, which were King of the Franks, King of the Lombards, King of Italy, and the Holy Roman Emperor. He laid the foundations for most of modern-day Western Europe. His sphere of influence ranged from the Spanish Marches, a part of Spain he ruled, to Obotrite territory, now modern-day German regions of Mecklenburg and Holstein. The people he directly ruled over lived in the regions of Neustria, Austrasia, Swabia, Thuringia, Aquitaine, Burgundy, Gascony, Provence, Septimania, Carinthia, Bavaria, Lombardy, Frisia, Saxony, Thuringia, the Breton March, and the Spanish March. …show more content…

Charlemagne's source of power can be found primarily in the way he was born. Charles was born somewhere (possibly Aachen, or Liège) in the Frankish Kingdom, around from 742-748. He was born to Pepin the Short, Mayor of the Palace, and Bertrada of Laon. Pepin's status as Mayor of the Palace gave him more actual power than the current King, Childeric III, the last of the Merovingians, a failing dynasty that had ruled the Frankish Kingdom for a long time. The reason the Mayor had more power than the King was because the last few monarchs had done little to manage the Frankish Kingdom. Soon, the other nobles started to respond to the Mayor, instead of the King. In other words, Childeric and his most recent forefathers were little more than figureheads. Eventually, Childeric …show more content…

His leadership inspired many to join his military, and he encouraged the clergy the build schools so the masses could learn how to read and write. Another thing he encouraged was the copying of Latin Manuscripts, so that old knowledge could be preserved. He also established a school in his palace, reserved for his children, and other nobles' children. But, due to many of his conquests, many people rebelled against him, though none had succeeded. This, in turn, lead to many massacres by the thousands, such as the one in Verden, when 4,500 rebellious Saxons were slaughtered on a single day. And because of his large empire, many other factions, even Abbasid Muslim nobles, pledged allegiance to him. In his time, Charlemagne's status as an Emperor gave him tremendous amounts of influence to almost everyone he ruled over. Overall, he was a feared and respected

Show More
Related

  • The Life of Charlemagne by Einhard

    1381 Words  | 3 Pages

    Charlemagne is described by Janet Nelson as being a role model for Einhard. Einhard himself writes in the first paragraph of The Life of Charlemagne, “After I decided to write about the life, character and no small part of the accomplishments of my lord and foster father, Charles, that most excellent and deservedly famous king, I determined to do so with as much brevity as I could.” I feel that these are sincere words about the man who cared for Einhard. I feel that Einhard’s purpose for writing The Life of Charlemagne is to praise the works of his “foster-father” and create a historical document that would describe the great deeds of Charlemagne so that he would not be forgotten throughout time as a great leader and man.

    Read More

  • Charlemagne’s Will: Church, Empire, and Intellect

    887 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout his essay, Einhard makes constant references to Charlemagne’s piety. He notes that the king “cherished with great fervor and devotion the principles of the Christian religion.” Charlemagne built the basilica at Aix-la-Chapelle, and “was a constant worshipper at this church.” (Einhard, 48)…. He embodied the Christian doctrine to give to the poor, and had close relationships to the popes in Rome. A pessimist might find reason to believe these actions were purely opportunistic or at least had mixed motives—his relationships with the Vatican were monetarily beneficial—but Einhard’s inclusion of Charlemagne’s will removes all doubt. “In this division he is especially desirous to provide…the largess of alms which Christians usually make.” (Einhard, 52). In death, Charlemagne gave much of his wealth to the Church via the archbishops of each city in his empire, and further stipulated that upon the death of one of them, a portion of the remaining inheritance should go directly to the poor, as should the profit of the sale of his library.

    Read More

  • The Countless Lives of Charlemagne

    1119 Words  | 3 Pages

    The most famous work about Charlemagne is a book entitled The Two Lives of Charlemagne which consists of two separate biographies published into one book and tells the story of Charlemagne's life as two different people experienced it. Apart from this, there are many other places you can turn to learn more about the life of the king of the Franks, including letters, capitularies, inventories, annals, and more. However, each of these sources seem to paint a different picture of Charlemagne. In one, he seems to be a very average guy; in another, a mythical being, almost god-like; and a strong and firm political leader in yet another. It is because of this of this that we will never really know exactly who Charlemagne was or what he was like, but we do have an idea of what he did and how he lived thanks to those who decided to preserve it.

    Read More

  • Charlemagne

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    The reason Einhard wrote his biography of Charlemagne was to explain to the world how this man, who was also his personal friend, was a great leader. Einhard begins by telling some history of Charlemagne’s family and ancestry. Einhard then goes on to tell about every war Charlemagne was ever involved in. Einhard’s main reason for writing this description of Charlemagne’s reign is just to inform people of what he believe to be the reign of the greatest ruler of all time. He seemed proud to have lived at the same time as Charlemagne. He thought Charlemagne made no mistakes in the wars he was involved with. Einhard was proud of what Charlemagne did for the churches at the time of his reign. “Whenever he discovered one in his kingdom that was old and ready to collapse he charged the responsible bishops and priests with restor...

    Read More

  • The Two Lives of Charlemagne

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    The two lives of Charlemagne as told by Einhard and Notker are two medieval sources about the accounts of the life Charlemagne. Modern sources by Matthew Innes and Rosamond Mckitterick discuss how history was recorded during the medieval period and how it was suppose to be viewed in the early ages. Observing each of these sources helps get an understanding of how the writing of history is important in recorded history and how it affected how the history of Charlemagne was recorded.

    Read More

  • Charlemagne and the Saxon War

    1617 Words  | 4 Pages

    Charlemagne’s father, Pepin, died of dropsy on 24 September, 768 and left his two sons, Charlemagne and Carloman, with William, the Duke of Aquitania. After Pepin died, the whole kingdom was divided evenly between the two sons. It was split in such a way that Charlemagne would govern the part that belonged ...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Two Lives Of Charlemagne

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    Charlemagne accomplishes many deeds. One includes Charlemagne capturing the Breton’s. He conquers their land in the westernmost part of Gaul since they did not listen to him (25). Charlemagne, in his lifetime, will go through many wars. Many among those are listed in Notker. Notker his second book on Charlemagne goes into more detail about how the wars were brought about. Wars His rule is not limited to wars. Charlemagne sought out to initiate a sort of Renaissance period

    Read More

  • Charlemagne

    2859 Words  | 6 Pages

    “The apprenticeship of a King” describes how Charlemagne gained power through conquest and diplomacy. In 768, King Pippin died and his kingdom was divided between his two sons. Charles, the elder, and the younger was Carloman. The author says that little is known of Charles’ boyhood. When he was of the right age, it is recorded that he worked eagerly at riding and hunting. It was the custom of the Franks to ride and be practiced in the use of arms and ways of hunting. We may reasonably infer that acquiring these skills formed a major part of his early education. Charles was not a “man of letters” and the author makes no attempt at explaining this other than to point out that literacy was considered unimportant at that time for anyone other than the clergy and Charles didn’t become interested in “letters” until later in life. Bullough explains a number of experiences in public duties and responsibilities, which were assigned to Charles by his father, thus, giving him an apprenticeship to rule the kingdom. For some reason tension between Charles and his brother began shortly after their accession. The author explains a number of conflicts. The younger brother died however, at the end of 771 and a number of prominent people in his kingdom offered allegiance to Charles. Bullough names and explains those subjects. The result was the re-uniting of those territories, which helped to establish the kingdom of the Franks.

    Read More

  • Ferdinand II

    517 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ferdinand the Second was one of the most successful monarchs in establishing an absolutist rule in both political and religious areas. During his lifetime he held many titles and was a member of the House of Hapsburg. He was a strict Roman Catholic and did not have any tolerance for Protestants. Shortly after he was named ruler of Bohemia he rapidly pursued catholic reform with much success. He resolved many conflicts in Bohemia and throughout the Holy Roman Empire. Many historians believe Ferdinand II to be one of the most determined and dedicated monarch in the House of Hapsburgs.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On Charlemagne

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    Charlemagne Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, became the undisputed ruler of Western Europe, “By the sword and the cross.” (Compton’s 346) As Western Europe was deteriorating Charlemagne was crowned the privilege of being joint king of the Franks in 768 A.D. People of Western Europe, excluding the church followers, had all but forgotten the great gifts of education and arts that they had possessed at one time. Charlemagne solidly defeated barbarians and kings in identical fashion during his reign. Using the re-establishment of education and order, Charlemagne was able to save many political rights and restore culture in Western Europe.

    Read More

  • The Great Legacy of Charlemagne

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    Charlemagne was born between 742 and 748, and died on January 28th 814 at age 71. His father was Pepin the Short who had become King of the Franks in 751. After the death of his father, Charlemagne became King of the Franks himself, with his brother Carloman, splitting the empire in half. The brothers were not fond of having to split the empire in half for three years. The way they would communicate would be through their mother. Carloman mysteriously died one day, and to this day in history, no one knows for sure whether or not Charlemagne was involved with it. Once his brother died, Charlemagne would take over the whole empire in 771 at age 24. He was now the emperor of the largest single kingdom in Europe.

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of Two Lives Of Charlemagne

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    The collection Two Lives of Charlemagne contains two different biographies of Charlemagne who was a king of the Franks and a christian emperor of the West in the 8th century. The first biographical account was written by his courtier Einhard who knew him personally and well. On the other hand, the second account was penned by Notker the Stammerer was born twenty-five years after the king’s death. Even though these two versions indicate the same king’s life, there were many differences between the two. Einhard’s writing focused on the emperor’s official life and his military campaign. However, Notker provided more of a perspective about the king’s legacy and seemed more hyperbolic as well as mythical. This paper will compare and contrast the

    Read More

  • The Failure Of Charles I's Personal Rule

    1284 Words  | 3 Pages

    How far were the events in Scotland responsible for the failure of Charles I’s Personal Rule?

    Read More

  • Life Of Charlemagne Summary

    1208 Words  | 3 Pages

    Einhard, in his The Life of Charlemagne, makes clear the fundamental integration of politics and religion during the reign of his king. Throughout his life, Charles the Great endeavored to acquire and use religious power to his desired ends. But, if Charlemagne was the premiere monarch of the western world, why was religious sanction and influence necessary to achieve his goals? In an age when military power was the primary means of expanding one's empire, why did the most powerful military force in Europe go to such great lengths to ensure a benevolent relationship with the church? One possibility may be found in the tremendous social and political influence of Rome and her papacy upon the whole of the continent. Rather than a force to be opposed, Charlemagne viewed the church as a potential source of political power to be gained through negotiation and alliance. The relationship was one of great symbiosis, and both componants not only survived but prospered to eventually dominate western Europe. For the King of the Franks, the church provided the means to accomplish the expansion and reformation of his empire. For the Holy Roman Church, Charles provided protection from invaders and new possibilities for missionary work.

    Read More

  • William the Conqueror

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    He was the son of Robert, Duke of Normandy, his mother, Herleva, the daughter of a tanner of Falaise. In 1035 William’s father Robert, Duke of Normandy, went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in which he died. Before starting the pilgrimage, he presented to the nobles his seven year old child demanding their allegiance. "He is little", the father said, "but he will grow, and, if God please, he will mend." William, after a period of anarchy, became the ruler of Normandy in his father's place at the age of nine. William had a youth of clean life and of much natural piety, while the years of storm and stress through which he passed gave him an endurance of character which lasted to his life's end. During the time of anarchy in Normandy he became a skilled military leader and defeated his enemies, uniting his duchy. Once he began fighting, rumor has it that he never lost a battle.

    Read More

More about Charlemagne, Charles I Or Charles The Great

Open Document