Charlemagne: Wanted Poster, Coronation & Empire

He is called the «Father of Europe» – Charlemagne, King and Emperor of the Frankish Empire. He was ruler of the largest empire that Europe had seen since the Roman Empire and is still considered one of the most important and influential figures in European history. In this article you will learn who Charlemagne was, how he became king and emperor, how he was able to expand his empire and how he managed to rule this empire.

Charlemagne – Wanted Poster

First of all the most important thing:

  • Charlemagne became mid 8th century born. His exact year of birth is controversialyet researchers date it to either that Year 747 or 748. And be too Place of birth is unknown.
  • Charlemagne was from 768 to 814 King of the Frankish Empire (also: Franconian Empire) and from 800 he reigned under the title «Emperor».
  • Charlemagne is still one of them today most important and influential rulers of European history.

Charlemagne – origin and family

Charlemagne became in the gender of Arnulfinger born into. in the 8th century solved this die merovingian ruler of Frankish Empire and so climbed to the royalty on. Later, Karl’s bloodline became after his grandfather and namesake Karl Martell, the way for the domination ddynasty of his family paved, into «Carolingiansright» renamed.

the Carolingian were a European Rulers from the 8th to the 11th Century. They ruled that Frankish kingdom.

The seizure of power by the Carolingians

Karl’s grandfather Karl Martell was caretaker (Office at the royal court, administrator of the royal estate) on Merovingian royal court of the Frankish Empire. Already in 7th century the power and influence of the housekeepers continued to grow. They kept evolving direct confidants of the king and governable People – at some point they determined them government business of the kingdom with

Karl Martell’s son Pepin the Youngerwho holds the office of Hausmeiers inherited from his father, eventually had so great power-political influence at court that he was officiating Merovingian King Childeric straight to a monastery banished and finally yourself 751 himself on the throne of the Frankish Empire. This was the beginning of Carolingian dynasty.

Charlemagne as King of the Frankish Empire

Below is a look at the early days of Charlemagne as King of the Frankish Empire: when he became king, why he first had to share the reign and how he then became the sole ruler of the Frankish Empire.

Charlemagne – coronation and double reign

After the death of Pepin the Younger in 768 became the Frankish Empire between his two sons Charlemagne and Carloman divided up. The two brothers were each born on October 9, 768 crowned king of their kingdom.

That relationship the siblings, however, was always tense. Instead of working together united Frankish kingdom to rule as her father Pippin might have wished, enemies Charlemagne and Karlmann at each other.

Charlemagne – sole rulership over the Frankish kingdom

But before that conflict between the brothers could escalate Carloman died in 771, just three years after his coronation. Since Karlmann’s descendants still underage and thus not fit to govern were, Charlemagne took over without further ado regency on the second part of the empire and so became sole ruler of the Frankish Empire.

Figure 3: Ideal image of Charlemagne. Albrecht Durrer – 1513.

Source: wikipedia.org

Why is Charlemagne actually called «the Great»?

For one thing, he was with me 1.84 m height actually very large by the standards of the time.

But much more likely was he called «the great one», be there Empire and its influence in Europe just that were – big.

Charlemagne – Military Expansion of the Frankish Empire

The following consider the two main military expansions that Charlemagne undertook to enlarge the Frankish Empire.

Lombard Campaign (773–774)

The first threat for Charles’ rule came from the south. His seizure of power in Imperial part of Karlmann did not meet with approval everywhere, especially not in the Italian Lombard Empire. There developed a power-political counter bearing against the Frankish ruler. This was for several reasons:

  • Charlemagne and Karlman originally had one alliance with the Lombard king Desiderius – this was sealed by the marriage Charles with a Desidarius daughter.
  • After Karl the sole rule had, he dissolved the marriage again. Desiderius saw that as insult and the alliance became completed.
  • Karlmanns widow and her two still minor sons fled after Charlemagne’s seizure of power Lombard kingdom. Karl took that in turn insult on.

So it was Charlemagne very situated as Pope Adrian I turned to him in 773. The Lombards had conquests started and occupied now areas, the actually in the hands of the Roman Church lay. That was Karl’s opportunity, not just his relationship with to consolidate the Roman Curiabut also another one potential threat to get rid of his rule. So Charlemagne decided to intervene militarily and marched still in the same year with an army to Italy.

Had in less than a year Charles conquered the Lombard kingdom and be installed as its king.

The Saxon Wars (772–804)

Karl’s fight against the Saxony at the eastern frontier of his kingdom was probably the most important and most lengthy military project his reign. Whole 32 years for a long time he fought again and again against the Saxon tribes.

prehistory

the Saxony threatened the Frankish kingdom long before Charles came to power. Already his grandfather Karl Martell tried the Raids by the Saxons to prevent on the Reich territory and the secure borders. But the Saxon tribes kept invading the Frankish Empire.

Karl’s motivation for the Saxon Wars

Charlemagne had both power-political as well as religious motivation for the Saxon War:

power-political had Karl against the predatory incursions of the Saxon tribes in his realm. In addition, a war against the Saxons offered the possibility of to increase the empire enormously – the Saxon area was big and extended from the North Sea to the Harz Mountains and from the Elbe to the Rhine.

Religious seen, the confrontation with the Saxons was an open conflict between Catholics and Gentiles. Charlemagne was considered very religious and bet on that Christianity as the state religion – the pagan ones But Saxony refused has successfully embraced the Catholic faith for a long time.

In the later course of the wars, precisely these two factors emerged as Karl’s core concerns: The enlargement of his dominion and the (Forced) Christianization the pagan Saxons.

The beginning of the Saxon Wars – The Destruction of the Irminsul

Of the «Start» the Saxon Wars was probably the Destruction of the Irminsula Saxon sanctuary by the Frankish army in Year 772. This was Charlemagne’s response to pillaging Saxons, the tracts of land in the area of today’s Netherlands devastated – at that time part of Charlemagne’s kingdom. The destruction of Irminsul was a political and religious insult to the Saxons, who took revenge and now openly rebelled against Karl.

The integration of the Saxon Empire and Christianization

It followed protracted argumentsthe resembled a military tug of war – sometimes Charlemagne won, sometimes the Saxons. But until Year 777 made it Karl many of the Saxon tribes (for example Engern, Ostfalen, Westfalen). subdue and to claim their territories for themselves. around these areas to secure as Frankish territory and about his proselytizing mission to comply as a Catholic, Karl took various measures:

  • He took scourges from the various Saxon tribes.
  • He built new castles and defenses in the conquered territories.
  • 777 Karl held the first Reichstag on Sachsenland away.
  • 782 he divided the Saxon territory in Frankish counties new and fitted it like that organizational administration of the Frankish Empire.
  • He decreed new lawswhich predominantly the suppression of pagan customse and the Forced Christianization of the Saxons.
  • In the sense of the Christianization left Charlemagne build monasteries and churches.
  • He let mass baptisms hold

Uprisings of the Saxon leader Widukind

While the Saxon nobility mostly with the new one arranged by Frankish rulers had, the mood in the common folk a completely different one – the Saxons still wanted each other against the foreign occupation fight back through the Franks.

He took advantage of this incendiary mood Saxon leader Widukind in 778, to the military strength the Saxons Reassign and dare to advance again. With targeted attacks devastated his army conquered entire regions and even defeated them 782 the Franks in the Battle of the Süntel crushing.

Charlemagne graded the rebellious Saxons as a traitor his kingdom and Christianity and took brutal action against them. That’s how it happened 782 to the so-called blood court of Verden. After his defeat at the Süntel, Karl left the allied Saxons hand over the rebels.

Allegedly (exact numbers are not documented) were at the blood court of Verden over 4,500 on Karl’s orders rebellious Saxons executed. This project earned him the nickname «Saxon Butcher» a.

In the following years won that Frankish army increasingly the upper hand and conquered more and more areas of the Saxon Empire. 792 it finally came to last great uprising the Saxons, the Charlemagne also successful smashed. Up to year 804 there was always minor unrest, but that territory of the Saxons was nice long been part of the Frankish Empire.

Charlemagne – Empire

Charlemagne had next to the Lombards and the Saxony also with the Arab occupiers on the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) to fight, as well as with the Autonomous Duchy of Bavaria.

The wars on the Spanish front turned out to be very difficult and Karl finally only managed one border area, the later «Spanish Mark», to conquer and hold.

Also the independence of Bavaria was a thorn in the emperor’s side, but finally Charlemagne succeeded in incorporating the autonomous duchy into his empire integrate.

After Karl’s victories over all these parties received the Frankish Empire the greatest extentthat it should ever have (see Figure 3).

the Vita Karoli Magni

the most information, that are known today about Charlemagne, his military undertakings and his empire come from a single historical document – namely the so-called Vita Karoli Magni. This is one detailed and artistically very complex designed…