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| Mask reliquary of Charlemagne, located at Cathedral Treasury in Aachen |
Charlemagne (2 April
742/747/748 – 28 January 814), also known as Charles the Great (Latin:
Carolus or Karolus Magnus, French: Charles Le Grand or Charlemagne, German:
Karl der Große, Italian: Carlo Magno or Carlomagno) or Charles I, was the
King of the Franks from 768, the King of Italy from 774, and from 800 the first
emperor in western Europe since the collapse of the Western Roman Empire three
centuries earlier. The expanded Frankish state he founded is called the
Carolingian Empire.
The oldest son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada
of Laon, Charlemagne became king in 768 following the death of his father. He was
initially co-ruler with his brother Carloman I. Carloman's sudden death in 771
under unexplained circumstances left Charlemagne as the undisputed ruler of the
Frankish Kingdom. Charlemagne continued his father's policy towards the papacy
and became its protector, removing the Lombards from power in northern Italy,
and leading an incursion into Muslim Spain. He also campaigned against the
peoples to his east, Christianizing them upon penalty of death, at times
leading to events such as the Massacre of Verden. Charlemagne reached the
height of his power in 800 when he was crowned "emperor" by Pope Leo
III on Christmas Day at Old St. Peter's Basilica.
Called the "Father of Europe" (pater
Europae), Charlemagne united most of Western Europe for the first time since
the Roman Empire. His rule spurred the Carolingian Renaissance, a period of
cultural and intellectual activity within the Catholic Church. Both the French
and German monarchies considered their kingdoms to be descendants of
Charlemagne's empire.
Charlemagne died in 814, having ruled as
emperor for just over thirteen years. He was laid to rest in his imperial
capital of Aachen in what is today Germany. His son Louis the Pious succeeded
him.
Credits: Wikipedia
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