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Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 7 7 4 , a n d E mperor of what is now known as the Carolingian Empire from 800 , h o l d i ng these titles until his death in 814. He united most of Wester n a n d C e n tral Europe and was the first recognized emperor to rule in th e w e s t a f ter the fall of the Western Roman Empire, approximately three c e n t u r ies earlier. Charlemagne's reign was marked by political and socia l c h a n g es that had lasting impact on Europe throughout the Middle Ages.
A member of the Frankish Carolingian dynasty, Charlemagne was the eldes t s o n o f P e pin the Short and Bertrada of Laon. With his brother, Carlom an I , h e b e c ame king of the Franks in 768 following Pepin's death and b eca me t h e s o le ruler three years later. Charlemagne continued his fathe r' s p o l i cy of protecting the papacy and became its chief defender, remo v in g t h e L ombards from power in northern Italy in 774. His reign saw a p e r i o d o f expansion that led to the conquests of Bavaria, Saxony and nor t h e r n S pain, as well as other campaigns that led Charlemagne to extend h i s r u l e o ver a large part of Europe. Charlemagne spread Christianity to h i s n e w c o nquests (often by force), as seen at the Massacre of Verden ag a i n s t t he Saxons. He also sent envoys and initiated diplomatic contact w i t h t h e A bbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid during the 790s, due to their mu t u a l i n terest in Spanish affairs.
In 800, Charlemagne was crowned emperor in Rome by Pope Leo III. Althou g h h i s t orians debate the coronation's significance, the title represent e d t h e h e ight of his prestige and authority. Charlemagne's position as t h e f i r s t emperor in the West in over 300 years brought him into conflic t w i t h t h e Eastern Roman Empire in Constantinople. Through his assumpti on o f t h e i m perial title, he is considered the forerunner to the line o f H ol y R o m an Emperors, which persisted into the nineteenth century. As k i n g a n d e mperor, Charlemagne engaged in a number of reforms in administ r a t i o n, law, education, military organization, and religion, which shap e d E u r o pe for centuries. The stability of his reign began a period of c u l t u r al activity known as the Carolingian Renaissance.
Charlemagne expanded the Frankish kingdom to include much of Western an d C e n t r al Europe. His rule is also associated with the Carolingian Rena is s a n c e, and his foreign conquests and internal reforms, shaped Western E u r o p e a nd the European Middle Ages. He is numbered as Charles I in the r e g n a l l ists of Germany, the Holy Roman Empire, and France.
He was heavily built, sturdy, and of considerable stature. round head, l a r g e a n d lively eyes, a slightly larger nose than usual, white but stil l a t t r a ctive hair, a bright and cheerful expression, a short and fat ne ck , a n d a s l ightly protruding stomach. His voice was clear, but a littl e h i g he r t han one would have expected for a man of his build. He enjoye d g o o d h e alth, except for the fevers that affected him in the last few y e a r s o f h is life. Toward the end he dragged one leg. Even then, he stub b o r n l y did what he wanted and refused to listen to doctors, indeed he d e t e s t ed them, because they wanted to persuade him to stop eating roast m e a t , a s w as his wont, and to be content with boiled meat.
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Abt 748 - 814 (65 years)
