charlemagne

     

Charlemagne (pronounce /ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn/; Latin: Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus, meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814) was King of the Franks from 768 to his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdoms into a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800 as a rival of the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople. His rule is also associated with the Carolingian Renaissance, a revival of art, religion, and culture through the medium of the Catholic Church. Through his foreign conquests and internal reforms, Charlemagne helped define both Western Europe and the Middle Ages. He is numbered as Charles I in the regnal lists of France, Germany, and the Holy Roman Empire.

Trivia about charlemagne

  • On Jan. 28, 814 this "Most serene majesty, crowned by God, emperor great and pacific" died in Aachen
  • Frankly, my dear, this king of the Franks was called Rex Pater Europae -- "King Father of Europe"
  • He was king of the Franks, emperor of the Romans, & son of Pepin the Short
  • You could also call this "great" king Charles I
  • This Frankish king, who made the city of Aachen one of his capitals, may have been born there in 742 A.D.
  • Among his Paladins were Rinaldo & Roland
  • The Avar people of the steppes dominated the Hungarian plain until this Frankish king defeated them around 800
  • On Christmas Day, 800, as he prayed at St. Peter's Church, he was crowned Emperor of the Romans
  • In 781 he persuaded Pope Adrian I to crown his sons Pepin & Louis kings of Italy & Aquitaine
  • He co-ruled the Franks with his brother Carloman but became sole king when his brother died in 771
  • He was crowned on December 25th in the year 800
  • In 770 this king of the Franks married Desiderata, daughter of the Lombard king Desiderius
  • It's the more familiar way that Holy Roman Emperor Charles the Great is known
  • King of Franks who was advised, it's said, by Theodulf the Visigoth & Elissaeus the Eunuch
  • The 843 Treaty of Verdun divided his empire; grandson Louis II received lands east of the Rhine River
  • In 813 he personally crowned his son Louis as Holy Roman Emperor
  • Chansons de Geste, French epic poems usually about the exploits of this emperor
  • Some call this son of Pepin & king of the Franks the Father of Europe
  • Einhard's "Life of" this Frankish ruler says he almost doubled the size of the realm his father Pepin left him
  • Also known as Aix-La- Chapelle, Aachen, Germany is the city where this ruler established his court in 794
  • This 8th & 9th c. ruler's supposed sword, Joyeuse, is kept in the Louvre
  • In the 790s this Frankish king forced the Slavs & Avars to pay him tribute
  • Around 800 this Holy Roman Emperor established a school at his palace at Aachen
  • Born in 742, this King of the Franks led a 30-year conquest of Europe "by the sword & the cross"
  • Called by some the Father of Europe, he was crowned Emperor of the Romans December 25, 800
  • This warrior-king of the Franks was crowned emperor in 800
  • After being attacked on the streets of Rome in 799, Leo III took refuge with this king of the Franks
  • In 814 Louis the Pious succeeded this "Magne" man, his father, as Holy Roman Emperor
  • He was definitely king of the Franks & some historians say he became the first Holy Roman Emperor in 800
  • 800 A.D.:This man is crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor
  • The 843 Treaty of Verdun divided his massive empire into 3 parts, but he didn't mind; he'd been dead about 30 years
  • In 813 this aged Holy Roman Emperor crowned his son Louis the Pious co-emperor
  • Andorrans date their independence to 803 A.D., when this "Emperor of the Romans" drove out the Moors
  • Pepin the Short -- his brother Carloman's death sealed the deal
  • In legend, this crowned guy had a nephew named Roland
  • In 774 this Frank took the crown of Desiderius, the last king of the Lombards
  • In 1002 Otto III was buried near this king of the Franks whose body Otto had dug up to pray before
  • In 798 a rare white Asian elephant named Abul-Abbas was presented to this Holy Roman Emperor by the Caliph of Baghdad
  • Getting crowned emperor on December 25, 800 made him a Christmas Carolingian
  • In short, Carloman & this brother inherited titles from Pepin the Short