Taught by Professor Bradley Fish
Lesson 30 Essay: Charlemagne
Written by KryssaLee Baze
(These are old essays from over a year ago that I forgot to publish)
Charlemagne was considered the first ruling emperor under the Carolingian Dynasty, started by his grandfather Charles Martel. Charlemagne eventually became ruler of France, Italy, and Rome, among other countries he ruled.
Charlemagne was born in what is modern day Belgium. He was originally named Carolus, or Charles after his grandfather Charles Martel, and eventually was called Charles the Great, which translates in English as Charlemagne.
At the age of 26, Charlemagne became co-ruler of the Carolingian kingdom in 768 A.D. When his father Pepin died, he and his brother Carloman split the kingdom between them. Carloman died in 771 A.D., leaving Charlemagne as sole ruler.
He originally married a Lombard princess, strengthening his foreign relations with the Lombards, the ruler of Italy, but he remarried Hildegard. This in turn offended the Lombards greatly, and a sour feeling rose against each other. He eventually had nine children with Hildegard.
When Pope Adrian I called for Charlemagne's assistance, he battled the Lombards to get back some territories that the papacy owned. After a two year siege, Charlemagne captured the city of Pavia, the capital of Italy at the time. He was crowned with an iron crown, officially the king of France and Italy.
Charlemagne fought 18 battles against the European Saxons in a time frame of 30 years from 773-804. This battle was because Charlemagne was attempting to force the Saxons into Christianity. He was quite cruel in the enforcement, and when a revolt started 4,500 Saxon prisoners were executed at his order. The last Saxon uprising took place in 804, but after that they settled down under Charlemagne.
Pope Leo II asked for help from Charlemagne for protection from the Romans, and when Charlemagne won he was crowned by Pop Leo as Holy Roman Emperor in 800 A.D.
In 813, due to his old age, Charlemagne crowned Louis the Pious, who was king of Aquitane at the time, co-emperor, and then at 72 years old Charlemagne died in 814 A.D. He had reigned for 47 years. He in his lifetime had at least 18 different children with 10 different women.
Among the people he fought and comquered were the Muslims in Spain, Corsica, Sardinia, the Lombards of Italy, the Saxons in Europe (these Saxons were not the Saxons of England), the Slavs, and the Avars, wiping out the latter race. He will be remembered all through history.
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