1564109 - King of Franks, Charlemagne

Events

Event	Date	Place	Sources
Birth [E22115]	742-04-02	Ingelheim, Rheinhessen, Hesse-Darmstadt	9 2a 3a 10a 11a 7b 8b
Death [E22116]	813/4-01-28 (Julian)	Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen), Germany	12 2b 3b 4b 6b 7c 8c
_FA1 [E22117]		King of France 768-814. “Emperor of the West”. Holy Roman Emperor 25 Dec 800.	4c 5b 6c 7d 8d
_FA2 [E22118]		King of the Lombards 774. ‘Emperor of the Romans’ from 800 to 814.	6d 7e 8e
_FA3 [E22119]		First Germanic ruler to assume the title of Emperor.	6e 7f 8f
_FA4 [E22120]		Created a vast empire in the West the western part of ancient Roman Empire + new	6f 7g 8g
_FA5 [E22121]		The ‘empire’ he revived lasted in one form or another for a thousand years.	6g 7h 8h
_FA6 [E22122]		From 768 to 771, Charlemagne shared kingdom with his brother, Carloman.	6h 7i 8i
_FA7 [E22123]		Gained wide acclaim for his military success; waged over 50 campaigns.	6i 7j 8j
_FA8 [E22124]		Subjugated neigboring Germans, & waged war vs. Avars, Slavs, Byzantines, & Moors	6j 7k 8k
_FA9 [E22125]		Aided the Pope by defeating Lombards & becoming their king.	6k 7l 8l
_FA10 [E22126]		Defeated pagan Saxons after 30 years of war.	6l 7m 8m
_FA11 [E22127]		Founded the Holy Roman Empire; crowned by Pope Leo III in 800.	6m 7n 8n
_FA12 [E22128]		Controlled power of nobles & extended law over a troubled domain.	6n 7o 8o
_FA13 [E22129]		Patron of culture and extender of civilization.	6o 7p 8p

Parents

Relation to main person	Name	Birth date	Death date
Father	King of Franks, Pepin III the Short [I28632]	714	768-09-24
Mother	Cts of Laon, Bertrada [I18675]	720	783-07-12
	King of Franks, Charlemagne [I17116]	742-04-02	813/4-01-28 (Julian)
Sister	Abbess of Chelles, Gisela of Chelles [I28633]	757	811

Families

Family of King of Franks, Charlemagne and Unknown, Regina [F7107]

Unknown

Partner

Unknown, Regina [I25700] ( * about 770 + ... )

Children

Name	Birth Date	Death Date
Holy Roman Empire, Hugo Le Abbe [I25698]	about 794	844

Family of King of Franks, Charlemagne and Unknown, Madelgard [F7108]

Unknown

Partner

Unknown, Madelgard [I28028] ( * + ... )

Children

Name	Birth Date	Death Date
France, Ruothild of Faremoutiers [I28038]

Family of King of Franks, Charlemagne and Unknown, Gersvind [F7109]

Unknown

Partner

Unknown, Gersvind [I28029] ( * + ... )

Children

Name	Birth Date	Death Date
France, Adaltrude [I28039]

Family of King of Franks, Charlemagne and Unknown [F11092]

Unknown

Partner

Unknown [I17105] ( * + ... )

Event	Date	Place	Description	Notes	Sources
Partners (Primary) [E58321]	about 764				6p

Children

Name	Birth Date	Death Date
de Aquitaine, Alpais [I28622]	about 764	after 852

Family of King of Franks, Charlemagne and Unknown, Himiltude [F7110]

Married

Wife

Unknown, Himiltude [I28025] ( * + ... )

Event	Date	Place	Description	Notes	Sources
Marriage [E56610]	768				1b

Family of King of Franks, Charlemagne and , Desideria [F7111]

Married

Wife

, Desideria [I28024] ( * + ... )

Event	Date	Place	Description	Notes	Sources
Marriage [E56611]	770	Roman Empire			1c

Family of King of Franks, Charlemagne and Cts de Vinzgau, Hildegarde [F11090]

Married

Wife

Cts de Vinzgau, Hildegarde [I28624] ( * 758 + 783-04-30 )

Event	Date	Place	Description	Notes	Sources
Marriage [E58318]	771	Aachen ( Aix-la-Chapelle), Germany			3c 2c 4d 5c 6q
Marriage [E58319]	771	Aachen, Rhineland, Germany			1d

Children

Name	Birth Date	Death Date
France, Gisela [I28033]
France, Hildegard [I28035]
France, Rotrud [I28030]
Duc de Ingelheim, Charles the Younger [I28625]	772	811-12-04
France, Adelaide [I28031]	773
King of Italy, Pepin I de Lombardy [I28626]	773-04-00	810-07-08
France, Lothar [I28032]	778
King of France, Louis I the Pious de Aquitaine [I28621]	778-08-00	840-06-20
France, Bertha [I24908]	779

Family of King of Franks, Charlemagne and Unknown, Fastrada [F7112]

Married

Wife

Unknown, Fastrada [I28026] ( * + ... )

Event	Date	Place	Description	Notes	Sources
Marriage [E56612]	783				1e

Children

Name	Birth Date	Death Date
France, Theodrada of Argenteuil [I28036]
France, Hiltrude [I28037]

Family of King of Franks, Charlemagne and (de France), Regina [F11094]

Unknown

Partner

(de France), Regina [I28934] ( * 770 + ... )

Event	Date	Place	Description	Notes	Sources
Partners (Primary) [E58322]	about 792				6r 7 8q 13a

Children

Name	Birth Date	Death Date
Abbot of St. Quentin, Hugh L' Abbe [I28935]	794	844-06-07

Family of King of Franks, Charlemagne and Unknown, Luitgard [F7113]

Married

Wife

Unknown, Luitgard [I28027] ( * + ... )

Event	Date	Place	Description	Notes	Sources
Marriage [E56613]	794				1f

Family of King of Franks, Charlemagne [F11095]

Event	Date	Place	Description	Notes	Sources
Partners (Primary) [E58323]	about 800				6s
Partners (Primary) [E58324]	about 764				7

Family of King of Franks, Charlemagne [F14808]

Event	Date	Place	Description	Notes	Sources
Partners (Primary) [E59978]	about 800				7 8r

Narrative

[large-G675.FTW]

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.

Pedigree

King of Franks, Pepin III the Short [I28632]
1. Cts of Laon, Bertrada [I18675]
  1. King of Franks, Charlemagne
  2. Abbess of Chelles, Gisela of Chelles [I28633]

Ancestors

King of Franks, Charlemagne
* 742-04-02
+ 813/4-01-28 (Julian)

King of Franks, Pepin III the Short
* 714
+ 768-09-24

Martel, Charles the Hammer Duc de Antrim
* 676
+ 741-10-22

Duc de Austrasia & Brabant, Pepin II de
* 635
+ 714

(de Heristal), Elphide (Chalpaida)
* 654
+ ...

Dss of Austrasia, Chrotrud of Allemania
* 690
+ 724

Bishop of Troyes, St. Leutwinus de Treves
* 660
+ BET. 713 - 722

of Rodobertus, daughter
* about 660
+ ...

Cts of Laon, Bertrada
* 720
+ 783-07-12

Ct of Laon, Heribert
* 694
+ ...

Unknown, Bertrada
* 698
+ ...

Source References

11615-2.ftw [S7587]
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PrenticeNet: A Lineage to Caesar [S284928]
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    b 742
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    d 814
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L' Arts de Verifier Les Dates [S288651]
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Frederick Lewis Weis: Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America bef 1760 [S286879]
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    prob his 3rd m, ca. 771
Washington Ancestry & Records of McClain, Johnson & Forty Other Colonial American Families [S283682]
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    Emperor of the West
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David L. Beckwith: Smoky Mountain Ancestral Quest Database [S83898]
Frederick Lewis Weis: Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America bef 1760 [S11883]
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    b 2 Apr 747, no place
large-G675.FTW [S261374]
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David L. Beckwith: Smoky Mountain Ancestral Quest Database [S284259]
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Birth Name	King of Franks, Charlemagne 1a 2 3 4a 5a 6a 7a 8a
Also Known As	Holy Roman Emp, Charlemagne
Gramps ID	I17116
Gender	male
Age at Death	71 years, 9 months, 29 days