Display Your Family History and Coat of Arms
Charlemagne
or Charles The Great {742 - 814}: Charlemagne was
an outstanding figure of his age, and one of the greatest characters
in all history. He was a king of the Franks and the first of the
Holy Roman emperors. Charles Martel was his grandfather and Pippin
the short his father. With his brother Carloman Charles succeeded
to the throne, and on the death of Carloman the free vote of the
Franks made him sole king.
His reign of
forty-six years was filled with wars and conquests, as during that
time he undertook fifty-two campaigns, the chief of which were against
the Lombards, the Saracens and the Saxons. When Desiderius, king
of the Lombards, sought to obtain the succession for the children
of Carloman, Charlemagne marched against him, seized all his possessions
and placed on his own head the famous "Iron Crown of Lombardy"
{774}. Before leaving Italy he visited Rome and confirmed the donation
made by his father to the Pope, of certain portions of Lombardy.
This was the beginning of the papal claims to temporal supremacy.
In 777 Charlemagne made an expedition against the Saracens in Spain.
He was victorious, but on the return march across the Pyrenees the
rear of his army was attacked by the Gascons and Basques, wild mountaineers
of that region, and cut to pieces in the famous Pass of Roncesvalles.
Charlemagne's
most frequent and important campaigns were against the Saxons, one
of the few pagan German tribes at this time. He was determined to
establish Christianity among them at any cost, but for more than
thirty years they resisted him. During this struggle, after one
of the innumerable revolts, Charlemagne had 4,500 Saxon prisoners
put to death at one time. The Saxons at last yielded, and most of
the leaders were baptized.
In the year
800 Charlemagne was called to Rome by Pope Leo III to aid him against
a hostile faction. The king speedily punished the Pope's enemies,
and before leaving Rome was rewarded for his services. During the
festivities in the Cathedral of Saint Peter on Christmas Day, Pope
Leo approached the kneeling king, placed on his head a crown of
gold and proclaimed him emperor of the Romans, the consecrated successor
of Caesar Augustus and Constantine.
Charlemagne
is famed as a statesman and patron of learning. Under his rule commerce
was protected, and robbers who preyed upon traveling merchants were
severely dealt with; agriculture was encouraged and improvements
were taught ot the farmers, the emperor's own estates being
a praiseworthy model. Charlemagne formed at his court a school for
the nobles and their sons, and he himself learned to read Latin
and even Greek, although he could not write legibly. He was married
four times, and left one son, who became Louis I, surnamed The Pious.
Charlemagne's empire, at his death, extended from the Baltic
to the Mediterranean, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Danube, thus
including modern France, Germany,
Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary, a little of Spain
and most of Italy. His capital
was at Aix-la-Chapelle.
After Charlemagne's
death the empire was harassed by the Northmen and by internal dissension,
until finally, by the Treaty of Verdun in 843, it was divided among
his three grandsons, Charles, Lothair, and Louis, the divisions
made laying the foundations, subject to some territorial changes,
of the modern nations, France, Italy, and Germany, respectively.
Charlemagne was one of the greatest kings of European history.
If you wish to show the history of your family genealogy by displaying
your family tree and coat of arms, then feel free to visit our website
at The Tree Maker.
