Research Paper On Charlemagne

Who was Charles the Great? What is the name that he is known by?

Charles the Great was known by Charlemagne. According to the video, “Charlemagne lived during the late eighth and ninth centuries.” He was first the King of the Franks, then king of the Lombards, and he was finally crowned Emperor of Rome by Pope Leo III in 800 A.D. Charlemagne is legend, and was very powerful at uniting most of Western Europe and realigning the course of Europe through many methods such as shifting politics from east to west, spreading education, and supporting Christianity. Charlemagne was immensely important and most of European history would be very different without him.

Why was it such a huge deal that he was crowned by a pope?

It was a huge deal because

for most of the existence of the Roman empire, the center of the government had been in the west. This was altered by Constantinople who moved the capitol to the east in Constantinople (Istanbul) It was important because by bring control to the Franks who were centered in the far west, the European world was realigned to the West, where the leader was located. Bear in mind that the Eastern Empress (Irene) was not gone, but still existed with “Moral Authority,” according to the video. This shift of control was instrumental in bringing together almost all of Western Europe for the first time since the height of the Roman Empire, and therefore it was very important that Charlemagne was crowned as emperor.

What events allowed for Charlemagne to become Emperor?
Charlemagne became emperor through a series of events that cemented his place in European History. First, Charlemagne established his vast empire spanning most of northwestern Europe. He did this by conquering and forcing everyone in his path to submit to his rule as well as Christianity. Next he aided the Pope with the complete and utter destruction of the Lombards. This cemented his bond with Pope Leo III. This was proceeded on Christmas Day 800 with the Imperial Coronation in St. Peter's Basilica where he was crowned as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. To conclude, many events led to the establishment of Charlemagne as Emperor.

Who were the Franks and the Lombards?
According to the video, the Franks were people who settled in what is now France and Germany and Charlemagne was a Frank.

However, these are not the same people as those who we currently know as the French. The Franks were Germanic as well as another group known as the Lombards. The Lombards occupied the area in what is now northern Italy and the Alps. Both groups were considered barbarians by the Romans. The Lombards were often threatening the area that was the center of old Rome, what was at the time of Charlemagne known as the papal states. The papal states were controlled by the Pope, which at that time was Pope Leo III.

Why did the Pope (or the Papacy) look to the Franks and not the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire for protection from the Lombards?

Typically the Pope would look to the Byzantine Emperor for protection but at this time the Byzantine Empire was not in a stable enough of a position to help, so Pope Hadrian called upon the Franks which was led by Charlemagne to aid him in the defense against the Lombards. Charlemagne was very successful and according to the Khan Video, actually became king of the Lombards. This is very important, because this led to a good relationship between Charlemagne and the Papal States.

What was the relationship that Pepin (Charlemagne’s father) and Charlemagne have with the Pope? Look up the word legitimate (legitimacy) and use it in your

answer.
Pepin and Charlemagne both worked with the Pope very closely during their reigns as King of the Franks. It all started with Pepin who was Charlemagne’s father. Pepin was actually given the authority to rule by the Pope (St. Boniface). After the death of Pepin, Charlemagne was in even further engaged with the Pope. Charlemagne was able to protect the Papal States where the Pope resided by defeating the Lombards who were a threat. In return the Pope promoted Charlemagne to the position of Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. As the Khan video stated, the Pope was really offering a kind of legitimacy or authenticity. With the amount of power held by Charlemagne he could have called himself the Emperor of Rome, but everyone would know that really he was just the king. With the aid of the Pope it reaffirmed this title and gave Charlemagne an authenticity or legitimacy. It is the same with Pepin; he could have just went on with his business and ruled over the Franks, but with the Pope's approval the authority was cemented his subjects so that it wasn’t question whether or not he was really allowed to rule. This is fascinating that the Pope and the Frankish rulers had such a relation, because it is really a mutual relationship with the Pope on one end gaining military protection and Pepin and Charlemagne on the other end gaining legitimacy.

Who was Pope Leo III and how did he play a role in Charlemagne gaining power?
Pope Leo the III proceded Pope Hadrian, and was disliked by many for not being of a wealthy or Noble lineage. This angered certain church officials and two officials accused the Pope of extremely serious charges and planned an attack on him. Charlemagne who was the major political powerhouse in the north was called upon and made arrangement for Pope Leo to be released. Charlemagne did this by calling everyone involved for a hearing in Rome and Pope Leo was released by pleading innocence on an oath. The accusers were exiled and Pope Leo was then restored as Pope. Following this Pope Leo promotes Charlemagne to the position of Emperor of the Roman Empire. Overall this is a win win situation because Charlemagne is now Emperor, Leo is still Pope and now the two are closer together than ever which means Leo is close to his Protector. This was not, in fact, the first time that the two had been so close. A few years earlier, Pope Leo actually sent Charlemagne “...the Keys to the relics of St. Peter's and the Banner of Rome,” according to the video. In conclusion, Pope Leo III was vital for cementing Charlemagne as leader of Europe.

What happened on Christmas day a.d.800? How did this realign Europe?
On December 25, 800 a.d. Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as the Emperor of Rome. This changed the course of the European World and realigned the entire continent. The realignment was due to the fact that at the time the center of power was in the East in Constantinople. SInce the Franks were centered in what is now France it changed the future dramatically by shifting most of the political stronghold over to the west in areas surrounding the Alps such as Italy, France and Germany. To conclude if Charlemagne hadn’t been placed in power on Christmas Day in 800 a.d., Charlemagne probably would not be the legend he is today.

What was the Carolingian Renaissance?
The Carolingian Renaissance was started by the reign of Charlemagne and was continued through his successors. The Renaissance was a like a little peek through of what was to come centuries later in the 1400s when we have the Renaissance on a fuller scale. This small scale Renaissance was, as the video states,”...a small flowering renewal, a looking back at the traditions of Ancient Rome.” In a way it was a repeat of the reign of Constantine, because both used Christianity as a fulcrum towards their success, and both moved the capital of most of Europe to a different city. It is interesting to see how during the Carolingian Renaissance, history in way repeated itself.

Long Question – Use you knowledge of Charlemagne and Constantine to explain how both these Emperors changed history as we know it when they came to power? Hint think about how they came to power and the issues that came from it.
Two of the greatest European emperors - Charlemagne and Constantine - both took similar steps to unite European and reform it into a strong continent. Both took power in similar ways. Charlemagne took power by being promoted by Pope Leo III and Constantine was appointed by his predecessor. The issues that came from the appointment of these leaders is also interesting. Both were initially disliked for being “outsiders”. Constantine was Christian in contrast to the almost entire Roman population which worshipped the traditional Roman Pantheon consisting of Jupiter, Venus, Pluto, Neptune, Mercury, Mars, and so on. Charlemagne was out of the ordinary for being Frankish, instead of a “true” Roman. The actions taken by the two were also highly comparable. Constantine almost immediately moved the capitol to the East from Rome to Constantinople where it stayed for 500 years until Charlemagne woved to the West from Constantinople to Aachen in the Frankish territory. They both were strong supporters of Christianity. If the two had not stepped in Christianity might not be as established as it is today, because before Constantine Christianity was considered to be illegal and so it was extremely secretive, but that all changed with the crowning of Constantine who was a supporter of religious freedom, not just for Christianity but other religions such as Judaism as well. On the other end of the spectrum Charlemagne spread Christianity in a more forceful way, decapitating any “traitors.” In conclusion, while their methodology may have been different, Charlemagne and Constantine were very similar in terms of how they were coronated, how the general public reacted to them, and their political policy.