PDF Charlemagne - West End Middle School

[Pages:3]Charlemagne

Occupation: King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor Born: April 2, 742 in either Liege, Belgium or Aachen, Germany

Died: January 28, 814 in Aachen, Germany

Charlemagne, or Charles I, was one of the great leaders of the Middle Ages. He was King of the Franks and later became the Holy Roman Emperor. He lived from April 2, 742 until January 28, 814. Charlemagne means Charles the Great.

Early Life

Charlemagne was son of Pepin the Short, King of the Franks. (Who are the Franks? Germanic tribes living in modern-day France.) Pepin had begun the rule of the Carolingian Empire and the golden age of the Franks. When Pepin died he left the empire to his two sons, Charlemagne and Carloman. There would likely have been war between the two brothers eventually, but Carloman died leaving Charlemagne to be King.

Charlemagne's Family

In his personal life, Charlemagne had multiple wives and mistresses and perhaps as many as 18 children. He was reportedly a devoted father, who encouraged his children's education. He allegedly loved his daughters so much that he prohibited them from marrying while he was alive.

Einhard, a Frankish scholar, wrote a biography of the emperor after his death. In the work, titled "Vita Karoli Magni (Life of Charles the Great)," he described Charlemagne as "broad and strong in the form of his body and exceptionally tall without, however, exceeding an appropriate measure...His appearance was impressive whether he was sitting or standing despite having a neck that was fat and too short, and a large belly."

Expanding the Empire

Charlemagne expanded the Frankish Empire. He conquered much of the Saxon territories expanding into what is today's Germany. As a result, he is considered the father of the Germany Monarchy. At the request of the Pope, he also conquered the Lombards in Northern Italy and took control of the land including the city of Rome. From there he conquered Bavaria. He also took on campaigns in Spain to fight the Moors. He had some success there and a portion of Spain became part of the Frankish Empire.

Holy Roman Empire

He developed a strong relationship with the Church as an ally of the pope, who gave religious blessing to Charlemagne's power. In 799, Pope Leo III was attacked and forced from Rome by influential Romans. Charlemagne protected the pope and escorted him back to Rome to reclaim his power. In 800, Charlemagne was crowned as the Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III. This title showed the relationship between the Church and power. It made Charlemagne the successor of great Roman emperors like Constantine. It also showed that the blessing of the pope could make a leader into an emperor. He gave him the title Carolus Augustus. Although this title had no official power, it gave Charlemagne much respect throughout Europe.

Charlemagne was a well-respected and powerful king who promoted Christianity. He reformed the Christian Church to clarify Christian values, responsibilities, and morals. He opened missions in new territories and, according to some historians, he forced many of the people he conquered to convert to Christianity. He also aimed to make his people, especially the clergy, more educated. He ordered that all clergy should learn how to read, because he felt this was essential to helping them understand Christianity and the world. Charlemagne revived Roman culture as well. He promoted the visual arts and architecture, spending riches from his conquests on cathedrals and decorations. Charlemagne also established diplomatic relationships with powerful kings across Eurasia, including the Muslim leaders in the Middle East.

Government and Reforms

Charlemagne was a strong leader and good administrator. As he took over territories he would allow Frankish nobles to rule them. However, he would also allow the local cultures and laws to remain. He had the laws written down and recorded. He also made sure the laws were enforced. A number of reforms occurred under the rule of Charlemagne. He instituted many economic reforms including establishing a new monetary standard called livre carolinienne, accounting principles, laws on money lending, and government control of prices. He also pushed education and personally supported many scholars as their patron. He set up schools in monasteries throughout Europe. Charlemagne had an impact in many other areas as well including church music, cultivation and the planting of fruit trees, and civil works. One example of a civil work was the building of the Fossa Carolina, a canal built to connect the Rhine and Danube rivers.

After Charlemagne's death in 814, the empire again fragmented, or broke apart, into smaller kingdoms. Each of these kingdoms was divided into smaller sections, called fiefs or estates. Although Charlemagne was a famous and powerful ruler, his rule was unusual in Europe during his time. In the Early Middle Ages, most kings did not have much control over their kingdoms. However, many of the people who controlled the fiefs gained a large amount of power.

Fun Facts about Charlemagne

He left his empire to his son Louis the Pious. He was crowned Holy Roman Empire on Christmas Day. Charlemagne was illiterate, but he believed strongly in education and enabling his people to be able to read and write. He took classes later in life. He was married to five different women during his lifetime. He is nicknamed the "Father of Europe" as the founding father of both the French and the German Monarchies.

Additional Resources

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Homework:

Read the following excerpts and respond to the questions below.

"Charles the Great (Charlemagne) became king of the Franks at age 29. He married and divorced many different women and had at least 18 children."

"Charlemagne was an intelligent person. He studied many subjects and especially enjoyed astronomy. He could speak many languages, including German and Latin. He also could read but had trouble writing. Einhard, the king's historian and scribe, wrote that Charlemagne "used to keep tablets under his pillow in order that at leisure hours he might accustom his hand to form the letters; but as he began these efforts so late in life, they met with ill success."

"Charlemagne was disappointed to learn that the Franks were not as educated as the people of Britain and Ireland. In 782 C.E. he arranged for several famous scholars to come to his capital in Aachen and create a school in the royal palace. During his reign, schools opened throughout his empire, and many people were educated."

Respond: Why do you think Charlemagne took such an interest in educating his subjects while he was king? What topes of school programs does our government fund? What would happen if the government chose not to fund school programs?

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