TITLE: King of FRANCE, 768-814
King of the LOMBARDS
NOTE:
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. 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 becameruler 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 o