Charlemagne 742-814AD

A. Who was Charlemagne? 1. “Charles the Great” 2. “King of the Franks and the Lombards” 3. “Emperor of the Romans” – so declared on Christmas Day 800AD by Pope Leo III 4. A Germanic king of the tribe of the Franks, who surrounded himself with Germanic warriors / aristocrats. But he drew around himself churchmen and classical scholars. Thus he mixed and blended classical thought, Christian faith, and Germanic heritage into a new European civilization.

B. Carolingians 1. An aristocratic family that emerged in and around Austrasia (Belgium and Germany) during the seventh century. 2. They achieved supremacy in Austrasia. 3. Charles Martel a. “The Hammer” b. Grandfather of Charlemagne c. Military chieftain d. Rewarded his military followers with conquered lards e. He demanded loyalty from these land holders f. This created a feudal state 4. At Charles Martel’s death, land divided between his two sons: Carloman and Pepin the Short 5. Carloman in 747 became a Benedictine monk, thus Pepin the Short took over the entire kingdom. 6. Pepin blended Christian religion and Germanic heritage

C. Charlemagne (742-814) 1. Son of Pepin the Short 2. Reigned from 768 to 814 3. A talented military commander, a statesman of rare ability, a friend of learning 4. A strong sense of responsibility for the welfare of the society over which he ruled 5. Life of Charlemagne, by Einhard, Charlemagne’s biographer, describer Charlemagne: a. 6’3.5” tall b. thick-necked c. pot-bellied d. imposing appearance e. especially fond of The City of God f. fluent master of Latin, a student of Greek, a skillful speaker, a devotee of the liberal arts, and in particular a student of astronomy g. could not write h. possessed a strong sense of piety – built churches, collected relics, and struggled for a Christian culture

D. Warrior-king 1. Yearly campaigns 2. Mission – Unifying and systematically expanding the Christian West 3. 774 AD he conquered the Lombards, incorporated them into his growing state, and assumed for himself the Lombard crown – “King of the Franks and the Lombards” 4. 778 fought the Muslims in Spain, The Song of Roland 5. Executed 4500 unfaithful Saxons in one day 6. 800 AD on Christmas Day, Pope crowned him “Emperor of the Romans” – reconstituted the Roman Empire in the West after a 324 year intermission 7. 794 AD established a permanent capital at Aachen

E. Charlemagne’s major contributions: 1. Education – schools – educate young people and teach them the Bible 2. Art – Illuminated Manuscripts (decorative covers, illustrations, calligraphy) 3. Architecture

F. Death of Charlemagne 814 AD His Carolingian Empire and Renaissance died with him.