The History Book

82

A LEADER IN WHOSE

SHADOW THE

CHRISTIAN NATION

IS AT PEACE

THE CROWNING OF CHARLEMAGNE (800)

O

n Christmas Day, 800 an

extraordinary event took

place at St. Peter’s Basilica,

Rome. Pope Leo III crowned the

Frankish King Charlemagne with

an imperial diadem, coronating the

first emperor in the west for three

centuries. The imperial crown

established Charlemagne and his

successors as secular rivals to the

Papacy’s claim (as spiritual head of

the church) to a position of authority

over western rulers. In due course,

Charlemagne’s empire (which later

became known as the Holy Roman

Empire) expanded to cover a vast

area and laid the foundations for

some of the future nation-states

of Western Europe.

New rulers

In the half century before the

Western Roman Empire finally

collapsed in 476 ce, most of its

IN CONTEXT

FOCUS

Foundations of medieval

Christendom

BEFORE

496 ce Frankish King Clovis

converts to Christianity.

507 Clovis defeats Visigoths

to gain dominance over Gaul.

754 Pope Stephen II

recognizes Pippin III

as King of the Franks.

768 Pippin dies and the

Kingdom of the Franks is

divided between Charlemagne

and his brother Carloman.

771 Death of Carloman leaves

Charlemagne as sole ruler over

the Frankish kingdom.

AFTER

843 Frankish realm is divided

again by Treaty of Verdun.

962 Otto I, Duke of Saxony, is

crowned Emperor by the pope.

He unites Germany and Italy

to form what was later called

the Holy Roman Empire.

The Roman

Empire in the

West collapses.

Charlemagne

expands the

Frankish state.

Weak pope

seeks allies

outside Italy.

The notion of the emperor as the secular leader

of Christendom allows the office to survive

divisions of the Frankish kingdom.

The pope crowns Charlemagne as emperor

in Rome—the first in 300 years.

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83

See also: The Battle of Milvian Bridge 66–67 ■ The Sack of Rome 68–69 ■ Belisarius retakes Rome 76–77 ■

The Investiture Controversy 96–97 ■ The fall of Jerusalem 106–07 ■ Martin Luther’s 95 theses 160–63

THE MEDIEVAL WORLD

provinces were invaded by barbarian

tribes who established smaller

kingdoms on its former territory. At

first, the Eastern Roman emperors

did not recognize the legitimacy of

these new kings’ right to rule in

nominally Roman territory. But as

the new kingdoms, particularly that

of the Franks, became stronger and

more unified, Eastern Roman

recognition ceased to matter.

From kingdom to empire

Charlemagne, who came to the

Frankish throne in 768, expanded

his dominions extensively over

time, conquering northern Italy

and Saxony, gaining some areas

from the Arabs in northern Spain,

and taking Avar territories in the

Danube. He strengthened Frankish

administration, establishing a

network of missi domenici—royal

agents who would enforce his will

in the provinces. For the first time

in centuries, a powerful ruler

controlled most of the former Western

Roman Empire’s lands, turning

them into a single political entity.

By contrast, the Papacy had

experienced difficult times in the

8th century, snared in petty power

politics as various Roman noble

families sought to secure positions

in the ecclesiastical hierarchy.

After Leo was assaulted in Rome

in 799, he fled across the Alps to

seek help from Charlemagne,

inviting him to bring order to

Italy and restore the status of the

church. A year later, Leo crowned

Charlemagne, creating a Western

emperor alongside the Eastern one.

Carolingian Renaissance

Charlemagne pushed forward his

program of reforms, issuing an

edict in 802 that required an oath

of loyalty to be sworn and laying

out the duties of his vassals. He

also invited distinguished scholars

to court, and encouraged academic

disciplines that had languished

since the collapse of the Roman

Empire, including grammar,

rhetoric, and astronomy. Music,

literature, art, and architecture

also flourished during his reign.

After Charlemagne’s death,

divisions were rife. The Frankish

custom of dividing the kingdom

between several heirs weakened

central authority and led to civil

wars; it also allowed the emergence

of powerful landowners, who often

challenged royal authority.

Ultimately, the empire split into

two main portions, which roughly

equate to France and Germany

today. The title of emperor was

passed down to the immediate

descendants of Charlemagne and

then, from the 10th century, to

more distantly related German

princes. In this form, as the Holy

Roman Empire, it was to survive

to the early 19th century. ■

Charlemagne

Charlemagne (c.747–814) was

the eldest son of Pippin III,

who in 751 deposed the last

Merovingian king of the

Franks and assumed the royal

office himself. Energetic and

visionary, Charlemagne

greatly expanded the Frankish

kingdom. He was also a very

strong ruler, implementing

reforms that enhanced the

authority of the monarchy

and the church. In addition,

he reformed the kingdom’s

economy by introducing

a new monetary system,

standardizing weights and

measures, and unifying an

array of different currencies

to encourage commerce and

trade. His acquisition of the

imperial title in 800 further

consolidated his power, but at

first he made no plans to pass

it on. His first decision on the

succession, in 806, divided

the realm between three of

his sons but made no mention

of the office of emperor.

However, the deaths of two of

his sons led Charlemagne to

bequeath his lands and title to

a single heir—Louis the Pious.

He cultivated the

liberal arts most studiously

and, greatly respecting

those who taught them,

he granted them

great honours.

Einhard

Frankish scholar and courtier

(c.770–840)

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