The Art of War by Sun Tzu

1020 Words3 Pages

Throughout history there have been many leaders who have succeeded and led their people to greatness, and countless others who have failed and brought ruin. A good leader must be courageous, wise, and able to react well to the difficult situations that they may face. One man who had all of these characteristics and more was Charlemagne, King of Frankia located in modern day France. Throughout his long life he united the Frankish kingdoms, saved the papacy from destruction, and fought off barbarians during a critical point in Europe’s history (Sullivan). In addition, he also went on to found two of the world’s most influential kingdoms in history, the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire (Knowles). Charlemagne the Great, as he was known in his home kingdom of Frankia, ultimately fit the mold and even exceeded the requirements for being a good leader set forth by Sun Tzu in his book: The Art of War. He endured many struggles, suffered demoralizing losses, and experienced the highest of victories throughout his storied reign as King of the Franks, Italy, and as the first Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, all of which would last for centuries to come.
In order to truly analyze and determine whether or not Charlemagne was a good leader as defined by Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, one must first look at Charlemagne’s history and examine the entirety of his life. Charlemagne was born on April 2nd, 747 to Bertrada and Pippin III the Short who was mayor of the palace, which meant that his father officially served the king of Frankia, but in reality held the majority of the power (Sullivan). Four year later in 751 Pippin seized the throne with the blessing of Pope Stephen II officially establishing the Carolingian dynasty of Frankish and...

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...a rather unconventional way, instead of placing them in danger of their physical lives, he placed his troops in a spiritual danger. They were fighting for more than just their physical lives on Earth, they were fighting for their spiritual lives and also fighting to spread the faith. Charlemagne’s forces were determined to spread Christianity no matter the cost, and they did this through their military conquests across Europe, forcing people to convert as they were conquered under threat of death (Sullivan). It was this fierce determination to spread the faith that allowed Charlemagne’s army to conquer almost all of western Europe, and is directly responsible for the great success that Charlemagne enjoyed throughout his reign as king. All of these examples show how Charlemagne was a great leader both militarily and politically as defined by Sun Tzu in The Art of War.

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