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- Charlemagne (Karel de Grote) (748-814) . Holy Roman Emperor
Born in Liège (now in Belgium). He was named Karl (Carolus) after hisgrandfather, Charles Martel. Later Old French historians dubbed him Charles le Magne (Charles the Great), becoming Charlemagne in English after the Norman conquest of England.
Charlemagne became king of the Franks, a Germanic tribe in present-day Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and western Germany. He was the founder of the Carolingian Empire, reigning from 768 until his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdom, adding Italy, subduing theSaxons and Bavarians, and pushed his frontier into Spain. Charlemagnewas the first Emperor in Western Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire four centuries earlier.
Charlemagne continued his father's policy towards the papacy and became its protector, removing the Lombards from power in Italy, and leading an incursion into Muslim Spain. He also campaigned against the peoples to his east, forcibly Christianizing them along the way (especially the Saxons), eventually subjecting them to his rule after a protracted war. Charlemagne reached the height of his power in 800 when he was crowned as "Emperor" by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day.
Called the "Father of Europe" Charlemagne's empire united most of Western Europe for the first time since the Roman Empire. His rule spurred 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 encouraged the formation of a common European identity. Both the French and German monarchies considered their kingdoms to be descendants of Charlemagne's empire.
Charlemagne died in 814 after having ruled as Emperor for just over fourteen years. He was laid to rest in his imperial capital of Aachen.His son Louis the Pious succeeded him as Emperor.
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748 - 814 (66 years)
d. 18 Sep 768, Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France 