Charlemagne is described by Janet Nelson as being a role model for Einhard. Einhard himself writes in the first paragraph of The Life of Charlemagne, “After I decided to write about the life, character and no small part of the accomplishments of my lord and foster father, Charles, that most excellent and deservedly famous king, I determined to do so with as much brevity as I could.” I feel that these are sincere words about the man who cared for Einhard. I feel that Einhard’s purpose for writing The Life of Charlemagne is to praise the works of his “foster-father” and create a historical document that would describe the great deeds of Charlemagne so that he would not be forgotten throughout time as a great leader and man.
After contemplating Einhard’s purpose for writing The Life of Charlemagne it is important to examine his qualifications for doing so. Early on in the introduction there is a brief history on Einhard and his education.
“He was born soon after 770 and was given his father’s name. The family sent him as a boy to the great monastery of Fulda, where he was educated, and made a grant to the abbey of land which they held in the Maingau. In the 790’s he was sent by the abbot to Charlemagne’s court, where he became the pupil of Yorkshireman Alcuin who had gone to teach there, and succeeded him as teacher at the palace school.”
This is a small example of how Einhard was a very educated man and in other accounts he was highly regarded as a poet. Einhard was not only skilled enough to write on Charlemagne, he was almost obligated to do so. After a quick summary of some of the highlights of Einhard’s career the introduction to The Life of Charlemagne says,
“This sketch of Einhard’s career makes it clear that we ...
... middle of paper ...
...to be emperor.
I find Einhard’s account credible because he was described as someone who was so entrusted by Charlemagne that he knew the events that were going on and could give an accurate depiction of how Charlemagne was changing his society. However I do feel that Einhard described the coronation differently than Tierney by leaving out so much of the Church’s insistence on the coronation of Charlemagne. Though the entire biography is brief, it seems almost like Einhard rushed through the coronation which is something I would have found as a monumental part of his rule. It is interesting to me that Einhard would not go more in depth onto how Charlemagne felt about the coronation and what steps he took to treat it with the care he believed it required. However on all other accounts of the life of Charlemagne I feel Einhard is a credible source.
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.
The Relationship of Political and Religious Societies in the Age of Charlemagne, Based of Einhard's The life of Charlemagne sections 15-33
The reason Einhard wrote his biography of Charlemagne was to explain to the world how this man, who was also his personal friend, was a great leader. Einhard begins by telling some history of Charlemagne’s family and ancestry. Einhard then goes on to tell about every war Charlemagne was ever involved in. Einhard’s main reason for writing this description of Charlemagne’s reign is just to inform people of what he believe to be the reign of the greatest ruler of all time. He seemed proud to have lived at the same time as Charlemagne. He thought Charlemagne made no mistakes in the wars he was involved with. Einhard was proud of what Charlemagne did for the churches at the time of his reign. “Whenever he discovered one in his kingdom that was old and ready to collapse he charged the responsible bishops and priests with restor...
Critical questions can arise about Einhard's work for the simple fact he was a palace official of Charlemagne. Einhard was a minister of his Royal Majesty. He was highly respected for his knowledge, intellect, brilliance, integrity and character. He shared a personal relationship with the King and his family. It can be believed that his book was to make sure that the greatness of Charlemagne was recorded for history and maybe not the facts. The way he recorded the history of Charlemagne could have been more ...
Samuel Epes Turner, Einhard: The Life of Charlemagne, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1880. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/einhard.asp#Saxon War
Einhard was a courtier in Charlemagne’s Frankish Kingdom. During Charlemagne’s rule/life (768-824), he dedicated a vast amount of time and energy into supporting the notions of classical learning. He went so far as to start a school comprised of many scholars within his palace. Their role was to educate the nobility, the priesthood and the people, as well as hold counsel with the king. This is where Einhard and Charlemagne first encountered each other. Einhard was a small but intelligent man who came to prominence in the PiousCharlemagne’s and Charlemagne’s son’s kingdom. It is often asked how such a small man came to be the heart of the kingdom, and how the court school and the opportunities it provided influenced his success. During the late 8th and early 9th century, Charlemagne came to power. He expanded the kingdom and conceived many reforms during his reign.
Charles V essentially failed in all aspects of his universal empire plan (3). In the end, he was never able to stop the spread of the Reformation in his empire (5). Although he fell short of his own goals for his reign, people still remember him for his sense of duty, strength of will, and integrity (11).
He was fluent in Greek, Latin and was an excellent orator. Charlemagne knowing about the importance of Education, made sure his children learned a variety of important subjects like liberal arts that were essential then. Einhard describes Charles as a religious man who “cherished the Church of St. Peter above all other Holy and sacred places. ” One of the reasons –described by Einhard- why Charles was a great Emperor, was that he did not see the Pope’s power and authority as a threat to his ruler ship. Einhard’s purpose for writing this document was to exalt his friend and king, Charlemagne the great emperor even though he might have done this mainly on facts and romantic notions about Charlemagne. This document is very significant because it provides us a primary source about Charlemagne and his life. Even though Einhard used most of his personal experience with Charlemagne to write this document, he still consulted the Royal Frankish Annals for opinion about the
The Catholic King of the Franks was known as Charlemagne. Charles the Great was also a name used to refer to this king. The Franks were a tribe located in Germany. He became their king in 771. Charlemagne was amongst the most renowned, greatest and powerful rulers who existed in the Early Middle Ages. He is also referred to as the father of Europe”. As a medieval emperor, he ruled in the largest part of the Western Europe. His reign lasted for 47 years beginning from 768 to 814 (Gelfand, 20). During his reign, he managed to make several accomplishments. He managed to accomplish his targets by spending much time in warfare and converting his Germanic followers to Christianity. He is
Hildegard of Bingen lived to be a multifaceted abbess. She accomplished to be a multitude of professions, such as a preacher, visionary, scientist, poet, philosopher, and a composer during her lifetime. Hildegard’s life was filled with great joy, but also was accompanied with sickness and loss. She grew up in the monastery at Disibodenberg, where her parents entrusted her to the church at a very young age. At the church, Hildegard grew up with her foster mother and sister nuns. However, Hildegard proved to be unlike her sisters. Dean Kozol explored how Hildegard is progressive for her time period and the importance of music.
It is made clear through Einhard’s writing that he understood Charlemagne, as he lived through the time period with him. It seemed almost as if ‘the life of Charlemagne’ was written about Einhard as the attention to detail was so exact. This is just one of the things that makes this reading so enjoyable. I felt as if I was right there along side Charlemagne during this part of his life, as this biography provides so much information about Charlemagne's life and character. Einhard’s work was written as a praise of Charlemagne; the main focus being the official life of Charlemagne, which entailed the wars he participated in, the political decisions he made, and the civil society projects he implemented. It is clear that Einhard wanted to document the stories of Charlemagne to commemorate him and insure that his greatness is not lost or forgotten. Einhard reveals much information about Charlemagne, which is useful when comparing
Charlemagne was a big help in the Middle ages. He is also known as Charles the great. Charlemagne name was a legend for centuries. Charles had a lot of epics and romances made about him, he was even made a saint. In history he is larger than life that's what makes him so great. Charlemagne was the king the franks in the 768. Charles contributed a lot to the Roman empire. He believes in getting education and learning about his religion. The events that made Charlemagne so important is the frank's, roman empire, his kingdom, and religion.
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
Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, was a Medieval Emperor that ruled over Western Europe from 768 to 814. Charlemagne was born around 742 and was the son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon. Pepin the Short was the ruler of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. After the death of Pepin the Short, Charlemagne and his brother, Carloman I, became the rulers of the Franconians. The death of Carloman I in 771 allowed Charlemagne to become the sole leader of the Franks. Once becoming the leader of the Franks, Charlemagne wanted to unite the Germanic people into one kingdom and convert them to Christianity. He ordered anyone who did not follow Christian traditions be put to death. Charlemagne united
The great Charlemagne was a medieval emperor who lived from 742 to 814, ruling much of western Europe from 768 all the way to his death in 814. Building the kingdom of the Franks, an early version of France, into the largest empire of medieval Europe was one of his greatest accomplishments. Whether it was considered good or not, much of western Europe was converted into christianity, unifying nations under his reign. Due to his influences and strategic planning, Charlemagne was able to stress the importance of education, government, and military tactics, proving to be a successful ruler after all.