The rule of Emperor Charlemagne over the Carolingian Empire in the West marked a reawakening of the imperial ideal, a reemergence of education and a literate landed elite, and a rebirth of centralized government. Though he would not preside over the rebirth of Rome, Charlemagne’s left a legacy which would influence the development of western European government and cultural institutions for centuries to come. His Europe was new, though born from and tied to the old.
On Christmas Day, 800, Pope Leo III crowned King Charlemagne of the Franks Emperor of the Romans, and thereafter until the death of the Emperor it appeared as if the Roman Empire in the West was to be reborn (The Carolingian Era, 9/27). Bennet writes that Charlemagne “took to the
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battlefield each year as a matter of course,” and that each spring “the question was not whether to go to war but whom to fight,” (89). Thus, Charlemagne amassed an enormous kingdom in Gaul and beyond, and to govern what was then still in nature a large kingdom, he established in 794 his permanent capital at Aachen, one of the first steps toward empire (Bennet, 92). Taken together, Charlemagne’s coronation and establishment of Aachen as his capital certainly lay the foundations for the rebirth of the Roman Empire in the West. In his capital, Charlemagne constructed buildings and churches intended to mimic Constantinople—his church at Aachen was meant to be as impressive as the cathedrals of old Rome and Byzantium—and he peopled his city with scholars, including his biographer Einhard, and bureaucrats to support his expanding system of government. Despite wearing the first Western Roman crown for over three hundred years, and despite establishing government over the Franks in Aachen, a centralized state in the West would not last, and of Charlemagne’s accomplishments would be the shortest lived. The title of Emperor would eventually pass to Charlemagne’s son, and then grandson, and eventually transform for centuries into the title of Holy Roman Emperor (The Carolingian Era, 9/27). The Carolingian Empire would crumble shortly after Charlemagne’s death in 814, and in the coming generations divide again and again into smaller kingdoms and principalities. Even during Charlemagne’s reign, however, his government was not so centralized as it appeared or as he wished. Feudalism was on the rise, and his agents, the missi dominici, could only enforce imperial edicts with their presence, those orders being ignored by local nobles, dukes, and peasants as soon as the imperial representatives were gone. Other aspects of the Carolingian Empire, however, especially those aspects tied directly to the Carolingian Renaissance, were much longer lived. An important element in the development of the Carolingian Empire and in the further development of Europe was Charlemagne’s focus on trade and infrastructure.
His desire to recreate empire in the West was paired with an understanding of the infrastructure, communication, and economics (The Carolingian Era, 9/27). Thus, in the spirit of empire building, and because the Frankish kingdom remained significantly poorer than Byzantium in the East, Charlemagne began minting his own silver coinage in Aachen, which would become the standard for his empire. In addition to this, he also invested in reinvigorating trade at the port of Marseilles, and in the rebuilding of the old Roman roads. These improvements and reforms, though designed to aid the Carolingian Empire, had the more significant effect of returning a degree of economic stability of Western Europe, and preparing it for further development in the centuries to …show more content…
come. Charlemagne’s greatest and most enduring achievement, however, was the resurrection of education and a literate clergy and ruling class in his Empire.
Einhard, Charlemagne’s biographer, notes that Charlemagne read and “was fond… of St. Augustine’s … City of God,” and that he was literate and educated in multiple tongues (Einhard). Education was evidently important to Charlemagne, and when he discovered that many of the priests in his localities could not understand the Latin they read each Sunday he became furious, and instituted and program of education through his monasteries to ensure literacy among the clergy (The Carolingian Era, 9/27). His efforts proved successful, and seeing this he expanded his monastic grammar schools to his nobles, and eventually to their children, embedding in Frankish culture an appreciation for literacy and education. The Carolingian Renaissance, as it came to be known, resulted in the rebirth of literacy in the West, the copying of more than 40,000 historic texts, and the development of uncial, or Carolingian miniscule script, a derivative of the standard Latin script which incorporated lowercase letters and spaces between words—it is the foundation for even modern typeface. These advancements outlived the Carolingian Empire, developing into an intellectual culture in the West which would include the making of encyclopedias, the copying of texts, and the education of the landed elite for centuries to come, and eventually contribute to the
more pluralistic system of education we see beginning in the renaissance (Bennet, 98). Though the Carolingian Empire lasted only a short time, its and Charlemagne’s legacies are long. The resurrection of the Western Roman crown, which passed eventually to the Holy Roman Emperors, the development of the Latin script used even to this day, the creation of the livre which would continue to be used for centuries and provide a degree of economic stability to Europe even after Charlemagne’s death, and the rebirth and growth of a literate ruling class are only some of the legacies of the Empire of Charlemagne. It appeared as if the Roman Empire was to be reborn in 800, but it was not to be. What was reborn? Relative Western unity. A cultural and economic structure laid down by Charlemagne which would allow for the development and advancement of Western Europe in the coming centuries. Though the legacy of Charlemagne was not the rebirth of Rome, it was the birth of a new Europe out of and tied inextricably to the old.
The collection Two Lives of Charlemagne contains two different biographies of Charlemagne who was a king of the Franks and a christian emperor of the West in the 8th century. The first biographical account was written by his courtier Einhard who knew him personally and well. On the other hand, the second account was penned by Notker the Stammerer was born twenty-five years after the king’s death. Even though these two versions indicate the same king’s life, there were many differences between the two. Einhard’s writing focused on the emperor’s official life and his military campaign. However, Notker provided more of a perspective about the king’s legacy and seemed more hyperbolic as well as mythical. This paper will compare and contrast the
In the Frankish empire, there were numerous different cultures which inhabited it. A cultural dividing line can be draw down the Rhine River. On the left bank of the Rhine, you had the lands of Christian, Romanised Gaul, while on the right bank of the Rhine resided pagan Germania.* Culturally, linguistically and religiously, these two cultures could not have been more different from each other. In Gaul, the people had become Romanised and Christianised over the centuries by their roman overlords. Gaul was also heavily settled by the Franks, since they were feodrati for Rome. When the Western Roman Empire fell, it was easy for the Franks to move in and assume control over the territory. With the Franks conversion to Christianity in 496 The Franks were able to mix well with the Gallo-Roman land owners and peasants, leading Gaul to slowly transform itself into Francia.* The coronation of Charlemagne further enhanced his authority over his Gallic dominions by linking himself with the old Western Roman Empire.* This allowed him to be seen as a legitimate successor to the emperors of old, instead of a chieftain of a conquering
Einhard divides his discussion of Charlemagne into three distinct sections, perhaps in imitation of the king’s will, which is also partitioned into the same three underlying themes: church, empire, and intellect.
Charlemagne is a known for his success to try to maintain his empire. This new empire will embrace the unity of Christian faith. Under Charlemagne, new lands are conquered and a Renaissance is embraced. He even tries to revive the Christian faith. Charlemagne is a man that hopes to be an inspiration to the next generation. These deeds of Charlemagne is seen in the Two Lives of Charlemagne. In the Two lives of Charlemagne, both Notker’s and Einhard’s goal is to portray Charlemagne as a man of good character, a man that accomplishes many deeds and a man that hopes to provide an outlet for the next generation.
The Relationship of Political and Religious Societies in the Age of Charlemagne, Based of Einhard's The life of Charlemagne sections 15-33
The two lives of Charlemagne as told by Einhard and Notker are two medieval sources about the accounts of the life Charlemagne. Modern sources by Matthew Innes and Rosamond Mckitterick discuss how history was recorded during the medieval period and how it was suppose to be viewed in the early ages. Observing each of these sources helps get an understanding of how the writing of history is important in recorded history and how it affected how the history of Charlemagne was recorded.
While expanding his empire across Europe, Charlemagne did remember that he was indeed a Christian, and converted many of the tribes he conquered, to Christianity. However, when 4,500 Saxons resisted, they were slaughtered ("Charlemagne"). But, for better or for worse, by 1000 AD Christianity had spread like wildfire throughout most of Europe, and the Catholic Church, who had crowned our friend Charlemagne the Emperor, had risen to power. Meanwhile, the Seljuk Turks had taken Jerusalem and were threatening Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire (“Crusades”). Near the end of the eleventh century, Emperor Alexius wrote a letter to Pope Urban the II that called for the assistance of his fellow Christians in West (“Crusades”). And, Pope Urban, was more than happy to assemble an army for such a worthy cause, and he also hoped that it might improve the relations between the two
Throughout the Ages there have been many leaders who were known for their great rule. One of these great men during the 8th century was Charlemagne. The Life of Charlemagne was written by Einhard, a Frankish elite who had the privilege of working in the courts of Charlemagne. The book did not come out till after Charlemagne’s death but, it goes through his life in a thematic fashion. Einhard sets the book by first addressing deeds, habits, and then administration. This writing was one of the first of its kind. While there were many biographies written on the lives of saints known as hagiography, this was the first of its kind to be written about a secular ruler since the time of Antiquity. I will begin by talking about Charlemagne’s rise to power, then about his character and personality, and finally his relationship with his family.
“The apprenticeship of a King” describes how Charlemagne gained power through conquest and diplomacy. In 768, King Pippin died and his kingdom was divided between his two sons. Charles, the elder, and the younger was Carloman. The author says that little is known of Charles’ boyhood. When he was of the right age, it is recorded that he worked eagerly at riding and hunting. It was the custom of the Franks to ride and be practiced in the use of arms and ways of hunting. We may reasonably infer that acquiring these skills formed a major part of his early education. Charles was not a “man of letters” and the author makes no attempt at explaining this other than to point out that literacy was considered unimportant at that time for anyone other than the clergy and Charles didn’t become interested in “letters” until later in life. Bullough explains a number of experiences in public duties and responsibilities, which were assigned to Charles by his father, thus, giving him an apprenticeship to rule the kingdom. For some reason tension between Charles and his brother began shortly after their accession. The author explains a number of conflicts. The younger brother died however, at the end of 771 and a number of prominent people in his kingdom offered allegiance to Charles. Bullough names and explains those subjects. The result was the re-uniting of those territories, which helped to establish the kingdom of the Franks.
Charlemagne, a Frank decendent, had reunited parted of the empire including: France, Italy, and Germany. He restored law and stability in those regions along with his successor, the Carolingians until Viking invasions which returned unstability and disorder back to the region. By the eleventh century, Europe was divided, unstable, and lawless, especially France. France was divided into two parts with two different languages. “France was even divided linguistically with two distinct languages, Languedor, and Languedoc- prevailing in the north and south respectively” (5, Asbridge).
Charlemagne Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, became the undisputed ruler of Western Europe, “By the sword and the cross.” (Compton’s 346) As Western Europe was deteriorating Charlemagne was crowned the privilege of being joint king of the Franks in 768 A.D. People of Western Europe, excluding the church followers, had all but forgotten the great gifts of education and arts that they had possessed at one time. Charlemagne solidly defeated barbarians and kings in identical fashion during his reign. Using the re-establishment of education and order, Charlemagne was able to save many political rights and restore culture in Western Europe.
The Roman Empire, unlike that of Charlemagne’s, with its wealth and power lasted for centuries. Although the Carolingian Empire did not withstand its rule, it made many advances under the rule of Charlemagne. He and Augustus both had a similar outlook; they both wanted the same thing – everlasting reign of their empires. They had strong and forceful armies as well as men who were ever so loyal to their leaders. Throughout the years, they worked to expand their rule and territory. A vast empire that would last for eternity is what was to be accomplished. Sadly enough, neither of their empires lasted through eternity. Both of the governments had been overthrown and defeated leading to the end of the vast
He had a vision of what it meant to be a great king. He followed the history of the kings after Alexander the Great. He believed he had to increase the social, political and intellectual organization of his society. This distinguished himself from any other ruler from the past three hundred years. Charlemagne wanted to recreate what the Roman Empire once was capable of, but even better. As he traveled, he made sure he created a great educational system. He built a chain of schools and provided classes for chil...
Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, King of the Franks. Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, King of the Franks (742-814), was a strong. leader who unified Western Europe through military power and the blessing of the Church. The Church. The Church.
Einhard, Charlemagne’s biographer said that, “He also tried to write, and used to keep tablets and blank pages in bed under his pillow so that in his leisure hours he might accustom his hand to form the letters; but as he did not begin his efforts at an early age but late in life, they met with poor success” (Einhard, Hollister 86). Given Charlemagne’s love of learning, it is logical that the movement started in the center of the Palace, and then slowly spread throughout the empire into places such as Fulda, St. Gall, and Lorsch (Charles Dawson 200). The main instructor of this time was Alcuin, the leader of the school in York, he was brought in and taught according to the tradition of seven liberal arts, in the style of Isidore and the Venerable Bede (Christopher Dawson). In reality, Alcuin was not necessarily a teacher of great merit, he simply was a schoolmaster (Christopher Dawson). However, to the fractured world of the post-Roman world, this was exactly what was needed to pull them out of the depths of ignorance (Christopher Dawson).