Charlemagne

(c. 742–814)

   Monarch.

   Charlemagne (Charles the Great) was the son of Pepin III, King of the Franks. When Pepin died in 768, the kingdom was divided between Charlemagne and his brother Carloman. Carloman died in 771, leaving his lands to Charlemagne, and between 771 and 801, Charlemagne conquered Lombardy, Bavaria, Avar, Pannonia, Northern Spain and Barcelona. He established a strong central government and a clearly defined legal system. He was also a great patron of learning and did much to encourage the reform of the Church. alcuin was his advisor in religious and educational matters. Under his guidance a palace school and library were established and many scholars were attracted to the court, creating what has been described as a ‘Carolingian renaissance’. On Christmas Day 800, Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III. This act was an attempt to revive the old Roman Empire of the West in a new Christian form and it was set against the old Roman Empire of the East which still survived, governed from Constantinople. Although the new empire never attained its projected glory, it continued to exist in various forms until 1806.

   P.D. King (ed.), Charlemagne: Translated Sources (1987);

   F.L. Ganshop, The Carolingian and the Frankish Monarchy, translated by J. Sondheimer (1971);

   L. Wallach, Alcuin and Charlemagne (1968).