112
This coin dates
from Charlemagne’s
period of rule.TWELVE CENTURIES AGO, one man ruled most of western Europe.
Charlemagne could hardly read or write, yet he built up a vast empire.
Charlemagne was a Frank—one of the peoples who had invaded the
Roman Empire when it collapsed in the 5th century—and who then
settled in northern France. When he became king in 768 ce,
his territory was small, and threatened by its French neighbors.
Charlemagne soon overcame them all and then invaded northern Italy.
He was a great warrior. He fought the people of Hungary
and the Saxons in Germany. He also invaded Spain and
stopped the Muslims living there from threatening the
rest of Europe. Charlemagne’s aim was not just to rule
more countries; he wanted to convert the inhabitants
to Christianity. To achieve this goal, he became
ruthless with those who opposed him. However, he
was not an especially cruel ruler. He reformed the
countries he conquered, and, perhaps because he
was not an educated man, he encouraged learning
and set up many schools. The Pope, who was head
of the Catholic Church, rewarded Charlemagne by
crowning him Emperor of the Romans in 800, for
Charlemagne’s European empire was the first to
be formed since the fall of Rome. When
he died 14 years later, Charlemagne was
the most powerful ruler in Europe.WHAT HE LOOKED LIKE
There are few known portraits
of Charlemagne, but those that
remain show a tall, bearded,
blond-haired man.ROYAL TOMB
Scenes from Charlemagne’s life cover
his tomb in Aachen Cathedral. One
panel shows his armies besieging the
town of Pamplona in Spain. The tomb
is richly decorated with gold and set
with precious stones.CORONATION
Pope Leo III crowned
Charlemagne Emperor of the
Romans on Christmas Day in 800,
at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Charlemagne became the first man
for three centuries to hold the title
of Roman emperor. It carried great
prestige, though in practice gave
him no additional powers.
THRONE
Charlemagne was a very powerful
ruler, but his marble throne was
plain and undecorated. The
throne was a copy of the one
described in the Bible, from
which King Solomon ruled his
Kingdom of Israel. Charlemagne
built a chapel in his palace to
house his throne. The chapel
survives today as part of Aachen
Cathedral, in Germany.
Charlemagne
Charlemagne’s
empireHoly
Roman
EmpireHOLY ROMAN EMPIRE
Charlemagne’s domain (colored
pink here) covered most of Europe.
Though his empire was split up after
his death, what remained later became
known as the Holy Roman Empire
(colored green). The last emperor,
Francis II, resigned the title in- Some say he abolished
the empire to stop Napoleon
Bonaparte, emperor of France,
from taking the title. Others say
Napoleon ended it because he didn’t
want a rival emperor in Europe.
Part of both empires
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