Charlemagne
Charlemagne
(/ˈ ʃɑːrləmeɪn/)
or Charles the Great[a] (2 April
742[1 ][b] – 28 January 81 4),
numbered Charles I, was King of the
Franksfrom 768, King of the
Lombards from 774 and Holy Roman
Emperor from 800. He united much of
western and central Europe during the
early Middle Ages. He was the first
recognised emperor to rule from
western Europe since the fall of the
Western Roman Empire three
centuries earlier.[2] The expanded
Frankish state that Charlemagne
founded is called the Carolingian
Empire. He was later canonized by
the pope.
Charlemagne was the eldest son
of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of
Laon, having been born before their
canonical marriage.[3] He became
king in 768 following his father's
death, initially as co-ruler with his
brother Carloman I. Carloman's
sudden death in December 771 under
unexplained
circumstances
left
Charlemagne as the sole, undisputed
ruler of the Frankish Kingdom.[4] He
continued his father's policy towards
the papacy and became its protector,
removing the Lombards from power in
northern Italy and leading an incursion
into Muslim Spain. He campaigned
against the Saxons to his
east, Christianising them upon penalty
of death and leading to events such
as the Massacre of Verden.
Charlemagne reached the height of
his power in 800 when he
was crowned Emperor of the
Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas
Day at Rome's Old St. Peter's
Basilica.
Charlemagne has been called the
"Father
of
Europe"
(Pater
Europae),[c] as he united most of
Western Europe for the first time since
the classical era of the Roman
Empire and united parts of Europe
that had never been under Frankish
rule. His rule spurred the Carolingian
Renaissance, a period of energetic
cultural and intellectual activity within
the Western Church. All Holy Roman
Emperors considered their kingdoms
to be descendants of Charlemagne's
empire, up to the last Emperor
Francis
II
and
the French and German monarchies.[
citation needed]However, the Eastern
Orthodox Church views Charlemagne
more
controversially,
labeling
as heterodox his support of
the filioque and recognition by
the Bishop of Rome as legitimate
Roman Emperor, rather than
recognising Irene of Athens of
the Eastern Roman Empire. These
and other machinations led to the
eventual split of Rome and
Constantinople in the Great Schism of
1 054.[5][d]
Charlemagne died in 81 4, having
ruled as emperor for thirteen years.
He was laid to rest in his imperial
capital city of Aachen. He married at
least four times and had three
legitimate sons, but only his son Louis
the Pious survived to succeed him. [to
be continued]
From Wikipedia