• General Notes

  [SUSANNA KEENE.FTW]
  
  King of France 768-814.
  King of the Lombards.
  First Germanic ruler to assume the title of Emperor.
  Created a vast empire in the West (the western part of ancient
  Roman Empire + new lands).
  The 'empire' he revived lasted in one form or another for a
  thousand years.
  Shared kingdom with his brother Carloman.
  Gained wide acclaim for his military success, waged over 50
  campaigns.
  Subjugated neigboring Germans & waged war vs. Avars, Slavs,
  Byzantines & Moors.
  Aided the Pope by defeating Lombards & becoming their king.
  Defeated pagan Saxons after 30 years of war.
  Founded the Holy Roman Empire. Crowned by Pope Leo III in 800.
  Controlled power of nobles & extended law over a troubled
  domain.
  Patron of culture and extender of civilization.
  Charlemagne, Emperor Of The Holy Roman Empire, King of the
  Franks was king of the Franks from AD 768 to 814 and 'Emperor
  of the Romans' from 800 to 814. He became a key figure in the
  development of western Europe's medieval civilization. By his
  almost constant military campaigns, Charlemagne created a vast
  empire in the West which included much of the western part of
  the old Roman Empire as well as some new territory. He was the
  first Germanic ruler to assume the title of emperor, and the
  'empire' he revived lasted in one form or another for a
  thousand years. Culturally and politically, he left his mark on
  the newly rising civilization of the West. Probably no ruler of
  the early Middle Ages better deserved the title of 'The Great.'
  
  Charlemagne was the son of Pepin the Short, and the grandson of
  Charles Martel. From 768 to 771, Charlemagne shared Pepin's
  kingdom with his brother, Carloman. When Carloman died,
  Charlemagne became sole ruler. He took up with energy the work
  begun by his father and grandfather. His first step was to
  repress his hostile neighbors. Charlemagne gained wide acclaim
  for his outstanding military ability, persistence, and success.
  He waged more than 50 campaigns against neighboring Germanic
  peoples on all sides, and against the Avars, Slavs, Byzantines,
  and Moors.
  
  Charlemagne's first great war was against the Lombards, a
  Germanic people who had invaded Italy in the late 500's. They
  had been a source of trouble to the popes ever since. In
  conquering them, Charlemagne followed Pepin's policy of
  friendship and cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church. This
  also served Charlemagne's own interests, because he became
  ruler of the Lombard kingdom in Italy.
  
  The long Saxon war was the most important of Charlemagne's
  military ventures. The Saxons, who held the whole northwestern
  part of Germany, were pagans. Their defeat after 30 years of
  war prepared the way for the religious conversion and
  civilization of Germany.
  
  By means of other wars, Charlemagne put down a rebellion in
  Aquitaine, added Bavaria to his kingdom, and established
  several border states to protect his outlying conquests. In
  eastern Europe, he defeated the Slavs and Avars and made
  possible eastward migration by the Germans.
  
  Charlemagne had built a vast and sprawling state that shared
  borders with such different peoples as the Slavs, Byzantines,
  and Moslems. He defended the Roman Catholic Church and
  constantly extended its power. He was far more powerful than
  the imperial successors of Constantine, the first Christian
  emperor in the West, and he ruled a much more extensive area.
  Because of his great holdings, he decided to revive the Roman
  Empire, but as a new empire that was European and Christian in
  Character. The relations of the popes with the Byzantine, or
  Eastern Roman, emperors in Canstantinople had been breaking
  down since the middle 700's. An alliance between the Roman
  Catholic Church and the Franks, accomplished by proclaiming
  Charlemagne emperor, made good sense. Pope Leo III placed the
  imperial crown on Charlemagne's head on Christmas Day,  800.
  The most important effect of this act was that it revived the
  idea of empire in the West, an idea which caused both harm and
  good in succeeding centuries.
  
  Einhard, Charlemagne's secretary and friend, described the
  emperor as large and strong of body, fond of active exercise,
  genial but dignified, and sensible and moderate in his way of
  life. Charlemagne clearly recognized his duties and
  responsibilities, and was a tireless worker. He could not
  reverse the long trend toward decentralized government. But he
  could and did control the power of the nobles and maintain a
  considerable degree of law and order in a troubled age. His
  administrative methods helped raise the standard of living.
  
  Charlemagne's greatest contribution was his work as a patron of
  culture and extender of civilization. The Palace School, set up
  at his capital in Aachen under the leadership of the English
  scholar Alcuin (735-804), stimulated interest in education,
  philosophy, and literature. Most of the leading scholars were
  churchman, so this vast cultural activity greatly strengthened
  the church and had far-reaching and lasting results. In this
  way, Charlemagne, by means of his power and eminence, gave
  western Europe a unified culture so strong that it survived the
  terrible invasions and disorders of the next 200 years.
  
  Source: 'The World Book Encyclopedia', 1968, C291-292.
  'Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists ...',
  Frederick Lewis Weis, 1993, p cvi.

Details of Charlemagne's family with Hildegarde von Vinzgau

Details of Charlemagne's family

Details of Charlemagne's family with Regina (de France)