The Life Of Charlemagne By Einhard

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Throughout the Ages there have been many leaders who were known for their great rule. One of these great men during the 8th century was Charlemagne. The Life of Charlemagne was written by Einhard, a Frankish elite who had the privilege of working in the courts of Charlemagne. The book did not come out till after Charlemagne’s death but, it goes through his life in a thematic fashion. Einhard sets the book by first addressing deeds, habits, and then administration. This writing was one of the first of its kind. While there were many biographies written on the lives of saints known as hagiography, this was the first of its kind to be written about a secular ruler since the time of Antiquity. I will begin by talking about Charlemagne’s rise to power, then about his character and personality, and finally his relationship with his family.
The rise of power for Charlemagne was initially a hereditary right, but he used that as a stepping stone to become the most well-known king of all time. The story really begins with the father of Charles, Pepin. The position of mayor of the palace was given to both Pepin and his brother Carloman, who worked together in “splendid harmony.” (137) But after a few years Carloman decided to join the monks and lead a monastery life leaving only Pepin to be the mayor of the palace. Then Pope Zacharias decided that the mayor of the palace, Pepin, deserved to be King due to his influence among his people. While king, he waged war against Waifar, duke of Aquitaine, and this lasted for nine years, by the end of while Pepin died. This left the kingdom to be equally divided among both Charles and Carloman. Charles took up the kingdom of his father, while Carloman took the kingdom of his uncle. There was a lot o...

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...r her. “He treated her with the greatest respect, to the point that there was never any trouble between them, except over the divorce of King Desiderius’s daughter, whom he had married at her urging.” (142) There was not only respect for his mother, but attention given to his children. “He always ate his meals with them and when he traveled he always took them with him, his sons riding beside him.” (142) Interestingly, all of his children were educated highly including his daughters. He gave them a lot of attention and even taught them the art of ruling over a kingdom.
There is a lot we can learn from personal experience of those close to the king. Through the writing of Einhard we see the life of Charlemagne as not only a king, but also a friend, a son, and a father. Without such biographies generations of great triumph would have been lost to the battle of life.

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