How Did Charlemagne Influence European Society

Even though Charlemagne didn't write any of his own literary works, he greatly contributed to European society through the influences he imposed throughout his kingdom. Charlemagne stressed the importance of education, fine arts, and religion during his reign. Also, Charlemagne has been the basis for many popular poets during the 800's. Through all these ways, Charlemagne left a considerable impact on his people and future European culture.

Charlemagne was born in 742 AD. His mother made it a point to educate him in arithmetic, reading, and writing. He also took great interest in “expanding his knowledge of military tactics, he even accompanied his father on some of his military excursion”(BBC). He was a very social boy, and took great care in how well he was perceived by his

father's associates.

Due to all this preparation, when it was time for Charles to take the throne he was highly educated and well rounded both militarily and socially. His father's unfinished battles came a long with the throne, and Charlemagne was victory driven and would do anything to win. His vast knowledge of military strategy and first hand experience set him up to be a very successful war general. His persistence and loyalty motivated his men in ways that his father before him wasn't able to. This new spark in moral is what helped him defeat the Saxons and many more in battles to come.

Off the war front, Charles was determined to bring liveliness and culture back to his people. He searched for promising artists, writers, poets, and musicians throughout his kingdom that he could indorse to cultivate his lands once again. He invested money into the building of two palaces and the reconstruction of an infamous bridge to bring beauty to the kingdom. Charles also brought in art from Italy to decorate his home and had josters perform before meals for entertainment. Charlemagne set up a school that had a

planned curriculum of study based of Latin learning. He highly valued education because he believed an educated population was a more productive one. He made it a point to educated all of his people, so he not only set up schools for nobles but also for peasants. Charles also made it a point for religion to play a key role in the lives of his people. He was brought up a very religious man, and credited his successes to the Church. Charles truly believed that the only way to pureness and goodness was through religion. As emperor, he was very close with the Pope and often sought the Pope's advice. He also incorporated religion throughout the culture by including it in school's curriculums and working it into the arts. Charles even went as far as to bring in monks and scholars to read the Word to the people and his military regularly. However, his opinion on religion alone was enough to influence the people. Everybody admired Charlemagne for his great accomplishments and wanted to do everything they could to be like him. Due to this alone, people started taking greater interest in fine arts, education and religion. They knew how highly their ruler held these values, and so they figured they should, too. Charlemagne's great dedication to the Church earn him the title of the "First Holy Emperor"(web). He accepted this title and ruled under it with great honor and pristine.
Charlemagne also did everything he could in order to better the conditions that his people lived in. Although he was a monarch, he injected himself into all areas of the government. He knew that some of the lords could be corrupt, so he held them accountable by taking note of everything they did and by making them work in groups. He did his very best to govern for the best of his people because he felt that the government was in place to help the people, not take advantage of them. He created ordinances that gave poorer farmers more land in order to increase their possible income. These little laws he put in place seemed fugal, but they benefited the people who needed it most and accomplished his goals of a fair ruler. The ideas of a people-serving government that started with Charlemagne would be passed on, and are still held highly in the minds of most people today.
Charlemagne was a very well rounded, successful, and influential emperor. He encouraged people to live life, rather than just get by. The school systems he set up created a last influence on his people by making them more educated and aware of current events. He also influenced culture by making sure the public was well aware of fine arts. His publicizing of poetry, plays, and others arts created a lasting appreciation for the finer things in life. Even though he didn't write anything of his own, Charlemagne was a very big influence on early literature and was the center of many poems. Through all these ways, and many others, Charlemagne left a lasting impression on European culture and European literature.