Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was born on April 2, 742 A.D. in Herstal, Belgium. His Parent’s were Bertrada of Laon and Pepin the Short. Charles received his education from his mother and the monks of Saint Denis. He could speak and read Latin and his native Germanic language, but he never learned to write, though he tried to his entire life. He mastered military and political arts close to his father's throne. His parents died leaving Charlemagne to be the sole ruler of Franks. Charles's early reign was started with warfare, which expanded his control in all directions. His longest wars were in an area just below “Denmark”, against the Saxons. As he conquered, he converted them to Christianity by threatening to kill them. Pope Hadrian then asked for his help in the south, calling on Charles to deliver him from the Lombards. Charles obliged and quickly compelled the Lombard king to retire to a monastery. He took the crown in 774, and now ruled over much of what is modern Italy. During an Easter visit to Rome that year he was greeted by the pope with the words; "Behold another Constantine, who has risen in our times.”
His triumph culminated on Christmas 800, when in one of the best known events of the Middle Ages, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne "Emperor of the Romans." Charles told his biographer that he attended the service unaware that the pope was going to do this, but modern historians discount this as overly modest. In addition to thorough political reasons for wanting the caption, Charles had theological reasons too. Charles was also a great student of Augustine, much taken with his idea of the City of God. He believed the church and state should be allied as forces in the unification of society. Charles separated the roles of state and church in a letter to Pope Leo: "Our task is externally, with God's help, to defend with our arms the holy Church of Christ against attacks by the heathen from any side and against devastation by the infidels
Charlemagne was born on April 2, 742 A.D. in Herstal, Belgium. His Parent’s were Bertrada of Laon and Pepin the Short. Charles received his education from his mother and the monks of Saint Denis. He could speak and read Latin and his native Germanic language, but he never learned to write, though he tried to his entire life. He mastered military and political arts close to his father's throne. His parents died leaving Charlemagne to be the sole ruler of Franks. Charles's early reign was started with warfare, which expanded his control in all directions. His longest wars were in an area just below “Denmark”, against the Saxons. As he conquered, he converted them to Christianity by threatening to kill them. Pope Hadrian then asked for his help in the south, calling on Charles to deliver him from the Lombards. Charles obliged and quickly compelled the Lombard king to retire to a monastery. He took the crown in 774, and now ruled over much of what is modern Italy. During an Easter visit to Rome that year he was greeted by the pope with the words; "Behold another Constantine, who has risen in our times.”
His triumph culminated on Christmas 800, when in one of the best known events of the Middle Ages, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne "Emperor of the Romans." Charles told his biographer that he attended the service unaware that the pope was going to do this, but modern historians discount this as overly modest. In addition to thorough political reasons for wanting the caption, Charles had theological reasons too. Charles was also a great student of Augustine, much taken with his idea of the City of God. He believed the church and state should be allied as forces in the unification of society. Charles separated the roles of state and church in a letter to Pope Leo: "Our task is externally, with God's help, to defend with our arms the holy Church of Christ against attacks by the heathen from any side and against devastation by the infidels