Charlemagne's Primary Sources

A primary source is a first-hand source of information that was recorded or created during that specific time. It can take many different forms, a document, artifact, video or recording, dairy and so on. It represents an original source about a certain topic. It is a source created by someone who was there at the time recording directly from the topic of discussion. For example, one primary source that we used in class this year was the crowning of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor. For this encounter, there are two primary sources, one account from the Royal side and one from the Churches side. This is considered a primary source because, it was recorded during the ceremony as it was happening. This allows us to get a glimpse of what it was

With my example, above about the Charlemagne account, you can clearly see the biases between the two accounts. As one can see from analyzing both accounts is that they are both bias towards either the King or Pope. Within the Papal account you see that they describe the Pope as “venerable and beneficent”. It emphasizes how precious the crown is that the Pope was bestowing upon Charlemagne. As well as how the “faithful Romans” looked upon the Pope as a “pillar of defence” which portrays the Pope to seem more worshiped and powerful than Charlemagne. That with the will of God the Pope crowned Charlemagne. However, in the Royal account of Charlemagne they focus more on how it was on the “most holy day of Christmas, when the king, at Mass before the confessio of the blessed Peter the apostle, was rising from prayer, Leo the pope put a crown on his head.” One can see that within this account it tells the reader that before the Pope prayed to the “blessed Peter the apostle” he crowned Charlemagne. This shows that Charlemagne is to look more powerful and important than praying to Peter the apostle. Furthermore, once crowded the Roman people praised the new king and the Pope himself “adored” Charlemagne in the “manner of ancient princes.” Representing the power that Charlemagne had over the