(742?–814). As leader of the kingdom of the Franks, Charlemagne united many of the Christian lands of Western Europe. He was declared the emperor of this collection of states, which eventually came to be called the Holy Roman Empire. He is also called Charles the Great, Charles I of France, and Charles I of the Holy Roman Empire. The cultural revival during Charlemagne's reign is known as the Carolingian Renaissance, after his Latin name, Carolus Magnus. He is also known for starting a close alliance between the Holy Roman emperor and the pope in Rome.

Early life

Charles was probably born in AD 742. He was the elder son of Bertha and Pippin III (known as Pippin the Short). Historians believe that he received his early education from his mother and that he learned to read. His devotion to the church motivated him throughout his life.

Charles's father became king of the Franks in 751. At that time the Franks occupied what is now France and some surrounding regions. In 753–754, Pope Stephen II arrived in the Frankish kingdom to seek help against the Lombards. The Lombards were a Germanic people who had ruled a part of Italy since 568. The Lombards had attacked Rome several times, trying to conquer all of Italy. The Franks agreed to help the pope against the Lombards. Young Charles accompanied his father's army in several of these campaigns and learned from his father's efforts.

King of the Franks

Pippin III died in 768. According to Frankish tradition, the kingdom was divided between Charlemagne and Carloman, Charlemagne's brother. In 771, when Carloman died, Charlemagne became the one ruler of the Franks.

Charlemagne was determined to expand the Frankish kingdom and bring order to Europe. Saxons, a powerful non-Christian tribe of central Germany, had attacked the borders of the Frankish territory. In 772, Charlemagne began his conquest of the Saxons. He also wanted to convert them to Christianity. After several campaigns, the Saxon nobility declared loyalty to the Frankish kingdom in 777.

In the meantime, Pope Adrian asked Charlemagne for help against King Desiderius of Lombard. Desiderius had attacked lands ruled by the pope in central Italy and was threatening Rome. Charlemagne defeated the Lombard king, earning himself great influence with the pope. Charlemagne was crowned king of the Lombards in 774.

Then, in 778, Charlemagne invaded what is now northern Spain. That invasion ended in defeat, however. Soon after that, the Saxons again revolted against the Frankish kingdom. The war to control the Saxons became the longest and cruelest war fought by the Franks. The Saxons were punished severely for their disloyalty to the king. Finally, in 804, they gave in to the rule of Charlemagne and were united with his empire. In addition, Bavaria and other border territories were by then a part of Charlemagne's kingdom.

Emperor of the West

Charlemagne had established his capital in western Germany at Aachen (or Aix-la-Chapelle, as it is known in French) in 794. He built a magnificent palace there. By 800, he was the undisputed ruler of Western Europe. On Christmas day of that year, Pope Leo III crowned him emperor. Charlemagne then attempted to restore much of the unity of the old Roman Empire.

As emperor, Charlemagne was a great reformer. He set up a money system to promote trade, constructed roads and bridges, tried to build a canal to connect the Rhine River and the Danube River, and encouraged better farming methods. He also revived church music and an appreciation of art.

He especially worked to spread education and Christianity among all the people. He invited important scholars from all parts of the empire to come to his court. With the help of these scholars, he established a court library. He also founded an academy to educate young Frankish knights, the clergy, and other people. He himself never stopped studying. He learned to read Latin and Greek, studied history and theology, and learned about mathematics and astrology.

At the time of Charlemagne's death in 814, only one of his three sons, Louis, was living. Louis did not have his father's ability to hold together the many peoples of the empire, however. After Louis died in 840, his three sons split the empire Charlemagne had built. Even so, the Holy Roman Empire was to exist in some form for nearly 1,000 years. The influence of Charlemagne throughout Western Europe has been great.