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CharlemagneOccupation: KingoftheFranksandHolyRomanEmperor

Born:April2,742ineitherLiege,BelgiumorAachen,GermanyDied: January28,814inAachen,Germany

Charlemagne,orCharlesI,wasoneofthegreatleadersoftheMiddleAges.HewasKingoftheFranksandlaterbecametheHolyRomanEmperor.HelivedfromApril2,742untilJanuary28,814.CharlemagnemeansCharlestheGreat.

Early Life CharlemagnewassonofPepintheShort,KingoftheFranks.(WhoaretheFranks?Germanictribeslivinginmodern-dayFrance.)PepinhadbeguntheruleoftheCarolingianEmpireandthegoldenageoftheFranks.WhenPepindiedhelefttheempiretohistwosons,CharlemagneandCarloman.Therewouldlikelyhavebeenwarbetweenthetwobrotherseventually,butCarloman diedleavingCharlemagnetobeKing.

Charlemagne’s Family Inhispersonallife,Charlemagnehadmultiplewivesandmistressesandperhapsasmanyas18children.Hewasreportedlyadevotedfather,whoencouragedhischildren’seducation.Heallegedlylovedhisdaughterssomuchthatheprohibitedthemfrommarryingwhilehewasalive.

Einhard,aFrankishscholar,wroteabiographyoftheemperorafterhisdeath.Inthework,titled“VitaKaroli Magni (LifeofCharlestheGreat),”hedescribedCharlemagneas“broadandstrongintheformofhisbodyandexceptionallytallwithout,however,exceedinganappropriatemeasure…Hisappearancewasimpressivewhetherhewassittingorstandingdespitehavinganeckthatwasfatandtooshort,andalargebelly.”

Expanding the Empire CharlemagneexpandedtheFrankishEmpire.HeconqueredmuchoftheSaxonterritoriesexpandingintowhatistoday'sGermany.Asaresult,heisconsideredthefatheroftheGermanyMonarchy.AttherequestofthePope,healsoconqueredtheLombards inNorthernItalyandtookcontrolofthelandincludingthecityofRome.FromthereheconqueredBavaria.HealsotookoncampaignsinSpaintofighttheMoors.HehadsomesuccessthereandaportionofSpainbecamepartoftheFrankishEmpire.

Holy Roman Empire HedevelopedastrongrelationshipwiththeChurchasanallyofthepope,whogavereligiousblessingtoCharlemagne’spower.In799,PopeLeoIIIwasattackedandforcedfromRomebyinfluentialRomans.CharlemagneprotectedthepopeandescortedhimbacktoRometoreclaimhispower.In800,CharlemagnewascrownedastheHolyRomanEmperorbyPopeLeoIII.ThistitleshowedtherelationshipbetweentheChurchandpower.ItmadeCharlemagnethesuccessorofgreatRomanemperorslikeConstantine.Italsoshowedthattheblessingofthepopecouldmakealeaderintoanemperor.HegavehimthetitleCarolusAugustus.Althoughthistitlehadnoofficialpower,itgaveCharlemagnemuchrespectthroughoutEurope.

Charlemagnewasawell-respectedandpowerfulkingwhopromotedChristianity.HereformedtheChristianChurchtoclarifyChristianvalues,responsibilities,andmorals.Heopenedmissionsinnewterritoriesand,accordingtosomehistorians,heforcedmanyofthepeopleheconqueredtoconverttoChristianity.Healsoaimedtomakehispeople,especiallytheclergy,moreeducated.Heorderedthatallclergyshouldlearnhowtoread,becausehefeltthiswasessentialtohelpingthemunderstandChristianityandtheworld.CharlemagnerevivedRomancultureaswell.Hepromotedthevisualartsandarchitecture,spendingrichesfromhisconquestsoncathedralsanddecorations.CharlemagnealsoestablisheddiplomaticrelationshipswithpowerfulkingsacrossEurasia,includingtheMuslimleadersintheMiddleEast.

Government and Reforms Charlemagnewasastrongleaderandgoodmanager.AshetookoverterritorieshewouldallowFrankishnoblestorulethem.However,hewouldalsoallowthelocalculturesandlawstoremain.Hehadthelawswrittendownandrecorded.Healsomadesurethelawswereenforced.AnumberofreformsoccurredundertheruleofCharlemagne.Heinstitutedmanyeconomicreformsincludingestablishinganewmonetarystandardcalledlivrecarolinienne,accountingprinciples,lawsonmoneylending,andgovernmentcontrolofprices.Healsopushededucationandpersonallysupportedmanyscholarsastheirpatron.HesetupschoolsinmonasteriesthroughoutEurope.Charlemagnehadanimpactinmanyotherareasaswellincludingchurch music,

cultivationandtheplantingoffruittrees,andcivilworks.OneexampleofacivilworkwasthebuildingoftheFossaCarolina,acanalbuilttoconnecttheRhineandDanuberivers.

Fun Facts about Charlemagne HelefthisempiretohissonLouisthePious.HewascrownedHolyRomanEmpireonChristmasDay.Charlemagnewasilliterate,buthebelievedstronglyineducationandenablinghispeopletobeabletoreadandwrite.Hetookclasseslaterinlife.Hewasmarriedtofivedifferentwomenduringhislifetime.Heisnicknamedthe"FatherofEurope"asthefoundingfatherofboththeFrenchandtheGermanMonarchies.

Additional Resources• http://www.historyforkids.net/charlemagne.html

• https://kids.kiddle.co/Charlemagne

• https://kids.britannica.com/students/assembly/view/195320

• VIDEOhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEtbdUvGW1c

Homework:

Readthefollowingexcerptsandrespondtothequestionsbelow.

“CharlestheGreat(Charlemagne)becamekingoftheFranksatage29.Hemarriedanddivorcedmanydifferentwomenandhadatleast18children.”

“Charlemagnewasanintelligentperson.Hestudiedmanysubjectsandespeciallyenjoyedastronomy.Hecouldspeakmanylanguages,includingGermanandLatin.Healsocouldreadbuthadtroublewriting.Einhard,theking’shistorianandscribe,wrotethatCharlemagne“usedtokeeptabletsunderhispillowinorderthatatleisurehourshemightaccustomhishandtoformtheletters;butashebegantheseeffortssolateinlife,theymetwithillsuccess.”

“CharlemagnewasdisappointedtolearnthattheFrankswerenotaseducatedasthepeopleofBritainandIreland.In782C.E.hearrangedforseveralfamousscholarstocometohiscapitalinAachenandcreateaschoolintheroyalpalace.Duringhisreign,schoolsopenedthroughouthisempire,andmanypeoplewereeducated.”

Respond:WhydoyouthinkCharlemagnetooksuchaninterestineducatinghissubjectswhilehewasking?Whattopesofschoolprogramsdoesourgovernmentfund?Whatwouldhappenifthegovernmentchosenottofundschoolprograms?