Charles Ier known as Charles Large the (in Latin Carolus Magnus , in French Charlemagne , in German Karl der Große ) was born probably the April 2nd 742, without certainty as for the place (see below in Date and birthplace ). He died in Aachen (Aachen, in Germany), the January 28th 814.

He was king of the Francs (768 - 814), became by conquest King of Lombards (774 - 814), and was crowned emperor of Occident by the pope Leon III on December 25th 800, raising a prestigious dignity disappeared since the year 476.

Warlike monarch, it notably increases his kingdom by a series of successive campaigns, in particular by the slow one but forces tender of the pagan Saxons (772 - 804). Reforming, concerned sovereign from religious orthodoxy and culture, it protected the arts and the letters, and initiated in his vast empire the brilliance movement later on described as Carolingian Renaissance.

Its immediate political work, it did not survive a long time. The empire was shared between its three grandsons as of the Traité of Verdun in 843. Feudal parcelling out of the following centuries, then the division of Europe in rival State-Nations condemned to the impotence those which tried explicitly to restore the universal empire of Charlemagne, in particular the sovereigns of the Germanic Roman Holy roman Empire, of Otton I {{er}} in 952 with Charles Quint at the 16th century, or Napoleon I {{er}}, haunted by the example of most eminent of the Carolingiens.

However, Charlemagne can be regarded as the “Father of the Europe” before the hour. It ensured the regrouping of a notable part of Europe Western, and posed the principles of government which the great European States inherited.

Biography

Charlemagne is most famous representing sovereigns of the Carolingian dynasty .
Small son of Charles Martel, he is the son of Pépin III, known as '' the Brief '' and of Berthe de Laon known as '' with the Large Foot ''.

Date and birthplace

(See the page of discussion)
The birth and the childhood of Charlemagne remain obscure, for lack of documents of époque.
It was born probably the April 2nd 742, but là-aussi, certain analyzes suggest on April 1st 747, the April 15th 747 or on April 1st 748.
Having probably been born in “Préalle” with Herstal, in Belgium, he lives with Jupille, where his/her father Pépin the Brief resides. (Herstal and Jupille are located today in the suburbs of the town of Liege in Belgium and are at the time of the places of residence privileged of a good part of the sovereigns of the dynasties mérovingienne and pippinide, ancestors of the Carolingiens). Other birthplaces are also evoked: Aachen, Düren, Prüm, Quierzy-on-Oise.

Beginning of the reign

With died of Pip the Brief, the September 24th 768, its two sons Charles (future Charlemagne) and his brother Carloman Ier are both elected officials kings, the October 9th 768, by a popular assembly; Charles sees himself allotting the part of territory that had his/her father, and Carloman the kingdom of their uncle Carloman, brother of Pip Bref.
In 770, his/her brother refusing to help it, Charles is alone to fight and gain a complete victory over the people of Aquitaine to inclinations of indépendance.
In 771, is after a little more than three years of reign and of relative peace between the two brothers, Carloman dies with the Carolingian palate of Samoussy, very close to Laon. As of the shortly after his death, Charles seizes the kingdom of his brother by usurping the heritage of his nephews. Gerberge, the widow of Carloman, takes refuge in Italy with its sons and some partisans. At the age of twenty-nine years, Charles is elected sovereign of all the kingdom franc.

Territorial extensions

In the frank kingdom, the powerful ones accommodate free men whom they educate, protect and nourish. The entry in these groups is done by the ceremony of the recommendation: These men become domestic warriors ( vassus ) attached to the person of the senior . The lord must maintain these customers by gifts to maintain his fidelity. The gold currency becoming rare because of distension of the commercial links with Byzance (which loses the control of the Western Mediterranean to the profit of the Moslems) the richness can come only from the war: spoils or grounds conquered to redistribute. In the absence of territorial expansion the bonds vassalic distend: to perennialize a power must extend. Since generations the Pippinides thus extend their dominations and their counts growing rich yield grounds to their clean vassal. Charles Martel and Pip the Brief having recovered the goods of the Church to name bishops or abbots of vassal laic had the means of being with the head of an army without equal in the medieval occident at that time while stabilizing their assets. Charlemagne is found with the same problem: it must extend permanently to maintain its vassal and to avoid the dissolution of its possessions. During all its reign, it tries of the fidéliser by all the means: in their making lend oath, in their allocating grounds (only richness of the time) which they were to restore to him with their death, by sending missi dominici to supervise what was woven through its empire. To perennialize its incipient empire, it must each year join together its army and launch it towards new conquests. Once only Master of the frank kingdom, it increases his kingdom towards north and is (Bavaria, Saxony, Frise), towards the west (Brittany) and towards the south (northern of the Èbre in Spain in 778, establishing steps). It makes, starting from 772, a war baited with the Saxons, which, ordered by Witikind, oppose a vigorous resistance to him: it completes to subject them only in 804; he sees himself even constrained, to prevent their revolts, to off-set some of it nombre.
With the advent of Charlemagne, Italy east under Byzantine domination since its reconquète by Justinien in 535, and papacy is thus under supervision of the Roman Empire of the East. The Byzantine Empire, monopolized in its fight against the expansion of the Moslem empire, does not have any more the means of protecting Rome threatened by the Lombards. Freeing itself from the Byzantine supervision, papacy thus turns to the Francs. In 774, Charlemagne intervenes and demolishes Didier, king of Lombards which threatens the pope again, and seizes its States. The Byzantine exarchat of Ravenne did not fall which 23 years more early and it is thus a very cultivated area which passes under franque domination. In the opposite direction the slaves are émancipés as serfs and become more profitable (this evolution is done of as much better than the Church condemns the slave system between Christians). The difference between free peasants and those which are not it attenuates. The striking of silver money since several generations, and its homogenization in 781 by Charlemagne is an enormous progress: It is not enough any more for the peasant to produce what it is necessary to survive after having transferred part of his production to his lord, it can then sell surpluses. The Carolingians took other measures to support the trade: they maintain the roads, support the fairs… However, this trade narrowly is framed (the prices are fixed since 794, the export of the weapons is prohibited) and is taxed. the initial goal is to have access to invaluable products in order to maintain its vassal. The agricultural revolution is in germ but it will concretize only after the Great invasions.

End of reign

In 813, it associates his Louis son with the empire. The shortly after its death in 814, the vast empire of Charlemagne is limited to the west by the Atlantic Ocean (except Brittany), in the south, by the Èbre, in Spain, by the Volturno, in Italy; in the east by the Saxony, the river the Tisza, the buttresses of the Carpates and the Oder; in north by the Baltic , the river Eider duck, the the North Sea and the Handle.
In 1165, Charlemagne is put at the number of the saints by the antipape Pascal III; its festival is fixed at the January 28th. The papacy which followed never did not pronounce on the legitimacy of the Canonization of Charlemagne, and its worship remained toléré.
He is the owner of the Université of Paris, which still annually celebrates it at the 19th century. The Association of the prizes winner of the open Competition, in France, always holds its annual meal around Saint-Charlemagne.

Chronology

  • April 2nd, 742: Birth of Charlemagne.
  • 768 : Beginning of the reign of Charlemagne, king of the Francs. Crowning with Boundary-line. It reigns with his brother Carloman Ier until in 771.
  • 770 : Charlemagne gains a complete victory over the people of Aquitaine, which wanted to make themselves independent.
  • 771 : Charlemagne only reigns, after the death of his/her brother Carloman Ier.
  • 772 : Beginning of the wars of Saxony.
  • 774 : Tender of Lombards.
  • 778 : Beginning of the wars against the Moors.
  • 788 : Bavaria loses its independence.
  • December 25th 800: Charlemagne, king of the Frank , is crowned emperor of Occident to Rome by the pope Leon III. Beginning of new the Western Empire.
  • 804 : Tender of the Saxon after 32 years of wars.
  • 810: Charlemagne settles definitively in Aachen.
  • 812 By the treaty of Aachen, the Empereur of the East Michel I {{er}} recognizes Charlemagne like emperor of Occident.
  • 813 : It associates his son Louis with the empire.
  • January 28th 814: Died of Charlemagne

Carolingian rebirth

See also: Carolingian Rebirth

The well-read men of time use the term renovatio to qualify the movement of revival in Occident which characterizes the Carolingian period, after two centuries of déclin.
Since the fall of the Roman Empire in 476, the kings Ostrogoths, strongly romanized, respect the Latin cultural heritage and are surrounded well-read men such as Cassiodore or Boèce. Insulation is of short duration since as of 535, the Byzantine emperor Justinien succeeds in reconquering Italy (See Justinien '' Guerre against Ostrogoths '')
The Exarchat de Ravenne and of the well-read men such Cassiodore preserves and enriches knowledge which is preserved in the Italian libraries since the fall of the Roman Empire. To the 8th century, the exarchat is subjected to the pressure of Lombards which profits owing to the fact that the Byzantines, monopolized by their fight against the Moslems, cannot protect Italy any more. Rome is freed then from the Byzantine supervision. The tensions between Rome and Byzance worsen and the first Iconoclasme, or Quarrel of the Images, make flee many Byzantine artists in Rome where art develops quickly. The exarchat of Ravenne falls to the hands from Lombards only in 751 which manage Italy of north but do not destroy more the cultural heritage that had not done it before them Ostrogoths. Rome thus gives all its support for the constitution of a Western Empire able to defend papacy against the Byzantine Lombards and the . As of 774, Charlemagne overcomes Lombards and thus takes the control of Italy of north and its invaluable inheritance culturel.
The fall of the Royaume Visigoth during the invasion of Spain by the Sarrasins made that many intellectuals and ecclesiastics, like Théodulf of Orleans or Benoît d' Aniane, joined the court of Pip the Brief. Thus the Carolingians will profit from knowledge come from the kingdom which wanted to be the heir to the Roman Empire and the conservative from his culture.

Since the 6th century, the Monachisme was very strongly developed in Ireland and Northumbrie. The Irish monasteries had preserved Latin and Greek knowledge and were the seat of an intense intellectual life. The invasions perpetrated by the Vikings make come from British Isles of the scholars who contribute, with the introduction of the rule of Saint Benoit d' Aniane, with the rise of the monastic life in the kingdom carolingien.
This monastic push and the facilitation of the writing will lead to a better division of knowledge which will be with the development of the Pèlerinage S the reasons of the powerful demographic development, technical and cultural of all Europe around the year millet (Renaissance ottono-clunisienne). Thus, from many scholars of all Europe come to the court from Charlemagne and, by sharing their knowledge there, start the Carolingian rebirth. Among those, one counts:

  • Alcuin, arrived of England in 782, is one of the principal advisers of the emperor. He takes an active part in the biblical revival: the Bible of Alcuin is one of oldest the Manuscrit S of Occident. It institutes with Aachen a palatine school to form the future laic and religious elites. It sets up a vast program of education taking again the structure of the Seven liberal arts of Martianus Capella, Cassiodore, Boèce, transmitted by Bède Worthy the.
  • Théodulf, Visigoth (originating in current Spain), poet, theologist, is opposed to Constantinople on the question of the iconoclasme.
  • Benoit d' Aniane which founds a religious reform in Aquitaine, then unifies the Liturgie in 817, form of the hundreds of monks who go essaimer in all the empire spreading the rule bénédictine.
  • Eginhard, historian and biographer of Charlemagne (see below),
  • Paul Deacon, author of a history of Lombards ,
  • Pierre of Pisa, Italian well-read man.

At the beginning of its reign, Charlemagne does not have a fixed place of residence. It moves with its court of villa in villa.
The empire is managed by the Missi dominici , which go by two: a Count and a bishop. These high commissioners are charged to visit each year all the provinces of its vast empire and to make respect everywhere the central capacity according to the Capitulaire S. These capitulary are directives worked out at the court during large assemblies called Plaid s.
Starting from 790, the emperor generally resides at Aachen which becomes capital Carolingian empire. He maintains very good relationships with the caliph Abasside of Baghdad, Harun rear-Rachid, his ally in fact against the dissenting emirate ommeyyade of Cordoue which controls Spain, but also against the Byzantine empire. He receives from him in gift, inter alia, a white elephant named Abul-Abbas, in 797 or 801 according to the sources. The caliph ensures it moreover that full freedom would remain assured with the Christian pilgrims going to Jerusalem.
Charlemagne sets up a single currency in the empire and develops the use of the writing like means of dissemination of the information, and particularly the use of the language latine.
the scriptoria develop in the Carolingian abbeys: Saint Martin's day de Tours, Corbie, Saint-Riquier, etc the success of these workshops of copying is made possible thanks to the invention of a new writing, the tiny Caroline , which gains of legibility because the words are separate from/to each other, and better formed letters. The Gospel of Godescalc, a évangéliaire writes by a frank scribe between 781 and 783 on order of Charlemagne, is the first example gone back to tiny writing caroline.
At its court, he encourages the study of certain authors of the Antiquité and Plato is known there. (Aristote will be redécouvert only as from the 12th century in Occident). In 789, it promulgates capitulary the Admonitio generalis which orders that in each évêché a school intended for the children laïcs.
is created Under its reign, the Art préroman appears and a good number of Cathédrale S are built in all the empire. They for the majority all will be rebuilt at the time of the Renaissance ottono-clunisienne and at the 12th centuries. Some of these monuments take again the hexagonal plan of the churches of the East. The palatine vault of Aachen in is an example as well as the small church of Germigny-of-Meadows between Orleans and the Saint-Benoit-on-Loire.
As for the administrative heritage of Charlemagne, it will be included in the Flandres, as by the Normands which will apply these principles after having conquered the England.

Genealogy

See also Genealogy of the Carolingians and the Pépinides

Ascent

┌─ Charles known as '' Martel '' (v. 685 - † 741), mayor of the palate of Austrasie (719), │ mayor of the palate of Neustrie (719), mayor of the palate of Burgundy (719) ┌─ Pip III known as '' the Brief '' (v. 715 - † 768), mayor of the palate of Burgundy (741), │ │ mayor of the palate of Neustrie (741), mayor of the palate of Austrasie (747), │ │ king of the Francs (751) │ └─ Rotrude of Trier (? -?) │ ''' Charles Ier ''' known as ''''' Large the ''''' or ''''' Charlemagne ''''' │ │ ┌─ Caribert or Héribert (? -?), count de Laon └─ Bertrade or Berthe de Laon known as '' with the Large Foot '' (? - † 783) └─ Gisele. (? -?)

Descent

Charles Ier known as Large the or Charlemagne 1) X 768 Himiltrude ├─ Alpaïs (? -?) └─ Pip known as '' Uneven the '' (Ca 770 - 811), locked up with the abbey of Prüm in 792 after a revolt against his/her Charlemagne father in 791 2) X 770 Desired of Lombardy (cf Lombardy) , repudiated one year after its marriage for an unknown reason, without descent 3) X Ca 771 Hildegarde de Vintzgau (cf Agilolfing) woman of one of more │ noble families of the nation of the Suèves │ ├─ Charles the young person (Ca 772 - 811) ├─ Adelaide (? - 774) ├─ Rotrude (Ca 775 - June 6th 810), been engaged during six years to Constantin VI, wire of the empress Irene │ X Rorgon I {{er}} of Maine (cf Rorgonides) │ │ │ └─ Louis (? - † 867), abbot of Saint-Denis, Saint-Riquier, Saint-Wandrille. Chancellor of Charles the Bald person. │ ├─ Pip of Italy (777 - 810), king d' Italie (781 - 810) (cf Herbertiens) │ X Rothais │ │ │ └─ Bernard of Italy │ ├─ Louis Ier known as '' the Piles '' (778 - 840), king d' Aquitaine (781 - 814), │ emperor of Occident (814 - 840) │ 1) X 793 Theudelinde de Sens │ 2) X 798 Ermengarde de Hesbaye │ 3) X 819 Judith (cf Welfs) │ ├─ Lothaire (778 - 779), twin brother of Louis ├─ Berthe (Ca 779 - 823) │ X 795 Angilbert de Ponthieu known as Holy Angilbert , abbot of Saint-Riquier │ │ │ ├─ Nithard │ └─ Harmid │ ├─ Gisele (781 - ap. 814) └─ Hildegarde (782 - 783) 4) X 783 Fastrade de Franconie │ ├─ Théodrade (Ca 785-Ca 853), abbess of Argenteuil └─ Hiltrude (or Rotrude, Rothilde)) (Ca 787-?), abbess of Faremoutiers 5) X Ca 795 Luitgarde d' Alémanie, without descent 6) concubine Madelgarde │ └─ Rothilde or Ruothilde or Clothilde (790 - 852), abbess of Faremoutiers 7) concubine??? │ └─ Rothaide (v.784-ap.814) 8) concubine Ca 808 Gerswinde of Saxony or Gersuinthe │ └─ Adeltrude (? -?) 9) concubine Ca 800 Regina │ ├─ Drogon (801-855), abbot of Luxeuil (820), then bishop of Metz, │ Vicar of the Holy See (844) └─ Hugues (802 - 844), abbot of Saint-Quentin (822 - 823), archichancelier of Louis the Piles (834 - 840), abbot of Lobbes and Saint-Bertin (836) 10) concubine Ca 806 Adelinde or Adelaide │ └─ Thierry or Théodoric (807 - ap. 818), clerk

The monogram of Charlemagne

Charlemagne learned how to write only tardily, and he never managed to control this difficult technique, which justified the creation of a school of the palate, so that the men who were to serve it are capable to write reports/ratios. However, in order to enable him to sign differently than of a simple cross, Eginhard learned how to him to trace this simple sign, a Monogram, which contain all the letters of its name, Charles ( Karolus in Latin). The consonants are on the branches of the cross, the vowels contained in the central rhombus ( has in top, O is the rhombus, U is the lower half).

Although not knowing to write, Charlemagne could read. Its native tongue was the Francique, but he usually spoke the Latin and the Greek . The life of Charlemagne was reported by the monk Eginhard, who followed it throughout his life ( to see the general article the Carolingiens )

The figure of Charlemagne was idealized in the medieval culture, in particular through the chansons de geste, in which it is assisted of Last nine Valiant knights:

See also: Last nine valiant knights of Charlemagne, Battle of the wood of the Heroes

Charlemagne seen by…

  • Saint-Just
In song I of his poem Organt , Saint-Just refers to Charlemagne in these terms: He took one day envies Charlemagne
To baptize the Saxon non-believers:
Adonc it is armed, and is put in shift,
Follow-up of the Pars and Paladins francs.
Mister Magne had done better with my sens
Damner to save people,
Enivrer in the middle of Lares,
To cherish the Beautiful ones of its time,
That to traverse many cruel shores,
And for the Sky to consume its printemps.

  • Éginhard :

the crowning of Charlemagne according to Éginhard. frank, friendly Chronicler and adviser of Charlemagne, Éginhard wrote on him a rather eulogistic biography.
Here is an extract: Coming to Rome to restore the situation of the Church, which had been extremely compromised, it spent all the winter season there. And, at that time, it accepted the title of emperor and majestic. It was there initially if opposite that it was affirmed this day, although it was that of the major festival, that it would not have entered the church, if it had been able to know in advance the intention of the pontife.

Posthumous honors

  • Of many buildings with Aachen.
  • a building of the European commission in Brussels also took its name in reference to the boulevard of the same name which separates this building from the Berlaymont (Nerve center of the European commission).
  • a statue of Charlemagne in front of the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris and another on the boulevard of Avroy with Liege.
  • an equestrian statue of Charlemagne (realized by Agostino Cornacchini) in the large hall of the Saint-Pierre basilica to the the Vatican.
  • Each year, a price Charlemagne is decreed with a personality which has work in favor of Europe with Aachen. In 2006, the price was decreed with Jean-Claude Juncker.
  • the general de Gaulle and the chancellor Konrad Adenauer thought of the division of the Carolingian empire (Verdun, 843) at the time of the ceremony of reconciliation between France and Germany in the Cathédrale of Rheims.
  • a large college Paris IEN is called the Lycée Charlemagne. Idem with Thionville.
  • an incalculable number of streets, schools, religious organizations, communal buildings, or of companies use the name of Charlemagne and its ancestors in the communes of Herstal and Jupille (place of residence of a good part of the dynasty of the Mérovingiens and Carolingiens through the centuries).
  • a division S took the name of Division Charlemagne.
  • the Charlemagne Road which passes by Laon, Vervins, Hirson and in Belgium by Chimay, Couvin, Philippeville, Dining, Liege and arrives at Aachen.

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