Abstract This paper discusses the life of Charlemagne. The paper contends that Charlemagne is not only important because of his scores of military victories or the vast empire he recreated, but because he combined the inherited with the inventive. The paper explains that Charlemagne was a Germanic warrior in the traditional sense, spending most of his life in battle and to many he was a ruthless avenger. The paper states that to the Catholic church, Charlemagne was the great protector and the emperor who "baptized with a sword".
From the Paper "After the Aquitanian war, Charlemagne was called to face the Lombards of Italy, to have the pope's estates returned. He offered to pay for the return of the pope's estates, but King Desiderius would not relent the property. Charlemagne exiled the king of the Lombards and his son, Adalgis, from Italy and gave the conquered land to Hadrian.
The Saxons were battled numerous times, since they would relent, offering their loyalty to Charlemagne, but never kept their oath. At the end of the war with the Saxons, Charlemagne took thousands of Saxons from their homes and placed them in Gaul and Germany. Charlemagne forced the Saxons to convert to Christianity and destroyed their heathen temples and to become a Frank, so that the Saxon culture ultimately vanished. This battle and its outcome became one of the ways, Charlemagne fused the Germanic, Roman and Catholic cultures."
Abstract This paper examines how during his reign, the medieval emperor Charlemagne came to dominate Europe and create an empire of a scale not seen since classical times. It looks at how he created a renaissance of learning, the arts and culture in Europe. It analyses how the empire was achieved through a number of important military victories and how after the death of Charlemagne it became quickly divided and fragmented. It puts forward the argument that his educational and cultural achievements were greater and more durable than his military and political achievements even though his educational and cultural achievements were often fundamentally dependent on or instrumental in his military and political coups.
From the Paper "Charlemagne instilled a great deal of importance in historical texts. He realised the importance of annals and other historical texts in creating a sense of history and of collective national identity. It was very important to build up texts of the history of the Carolingians as part of the empire's pursuit of legitimacy. An example of an historical text which had a clear political impact and related strongly to Charlemagne's military achievements was Paul the Deacon's "Hisotira Langobardorum". This was a history of Lombardy. According to Mckitterick this history was ?an active contribution to the shaping of Frankish and Lombard relations.? This work actively portrayed the Carolingians as natural heirs to Lombardy."
Abstract This paper discusses the development and implementation of Charlemagne's plans to further education and spread Christian learning throughout his kingdom and all of Europe. Specifically, this paper details the importance of the involvement of Alcuin of York, who was the instrumental architect of Charlemagne's legacy of learning and knowledge, which came to be known as the Carolingian Renaissance.
From the Paper "Under the rule of Charles the Great, or Charlemagne, from 768 814 A.D., the Frankish Empire expanded in many aspects. Of all the Empire's augmentations under Charlemagne, in political, military and religious aspects, the increase in emphasis and quality of learning through the Carolingian Renaissance and the re establishment of the Palace School at Aachen had as much if not more impact on the future culture and history of Western Europe. However, Charlemagne can only partially be credited with the development of such educational ideas. The major force behind the organization of the educational institution at Aachen was Alcuin of York. Under Charlemagne's plans, "(Alcuin) established and expanded schools, libraries, and scriptoria in monasteries all over France. The impact of his work can be seen in the great increase of literary and documentary materials surviving from the Carolingian period. It can be seen in the number of classical texts whose manuscripts are in the Carolingian hand" (Cantor 230). The overall effects of Alcuin under Charles the Great can be seen today in that, "around 8,000 manuscripts survive from the late eighth and ninth centuries, and many more are known to have been produced" (Peters 118)."
Abstract This paper examines the new era of Western Civilization brought on by Charlemagne and Augustus in the Roman and Germanic societies respectively. The paper then argues that their similarities led to an integration of the cultures during Charlemagne's rule.
From the Paper "After conquering the Saxons, he forced them to submit to his rule and convert to Christianity, integrating Germanics and Christianity. "They (the Saxons) were sometimes so much weakened and reduced that they promised to denounce the worship of devils and to adopt Christianity." These policies of merging ideals mirrored those of the Romans and planted the roots for a medieval society that would ensue after Charlemagne's death. Augustus differed from Charlemagne and the Roman Imperialists on these policies, he was a peaceful ruler."
Tags: constructive, pax romana, literature expansionism integration
Abstract The paper provides a brief biography of Charlemagne and notes the improvements made during his reign to the quality of life in the Middle Ages in Europe. He improved education, helped unify Europe through military conquests and improved architecture.
From the Paper "During the long period from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance almost a thousand years later, referred to as the Dark Ages, Charlemagne is the only bright spot in European history; his is the only commanding presence. During most of this period, barbarians ranged around Europe, Christians made almost no progress against paganism and Western reading and writing were almost extinguished. This grim period, however, was illuminated briefly by Charlemagne and his reign."
Tags: ages, carolingian, dark, medieval, middle, renaissance, buildings, travel, war
Abstract Charlemagne was one of the greatest emperors that Europe has ever seen and this paper details how he came to power, what it took to stay in power, and how he lost his power. Included is his involvement with the Church and the first Crusades to spread Catholicism.
From the Paper "During the reign of Charlemagne, from 768 to 814 A.D., the growth of the Church in the west gained increasing power over its eastern counterparts. Charlemagne, the son of Pepin the Short, was indoctrinated with the Christian religion early in his life, and as a result he grew to become the leading proponent of Christian belief throughout the west. He continued the role of papal protector in Italy and his father's policy of territorial conquest in the north. After defeating King Desiderius and the Lombards in 774 he crowned himself "King of the Lombards". He began to increase the size of his kingdom by forcibly converting "pagans" into Christianity. His most difficult conquest was converting the Saxons into loyal Christian citizens. Thus, after thirty-three years of war the Saxons accepted Charlemagne's terms and renounced their religion and customs and adopted those of Christianity, while those that refused were relocated throughout Gaul and Germany. In 800 A.D. on Christmas day Pope Leo III, who was imprisoned by the Roman aristocracy a year earlier but escaped to the protection of Charlemagne who then restored him as pope, crowned Charlemagne emperor."
Abstract The accession of Charlemagne signalled the commencement of a "new epoch" in Western European military activity. Offensive campaigns were undertaken, larger and more ambitious than anything seen under Pepin and Charles Martel that re-established the Carolingian hold on the military and political organization of Western Europe. This paper assesses the preparation of military campaigns in regard to the recruiting, mobilisation, equipping and feeding of vast numbers of men and examines how [and with what success] the issues of geography and availability were dealt with. It uses the capitularies as evidence, looks at the role of 'missi' and addresses the argument of feudalism in the medieval state.
From the Paper "Military organization in the 8th and 9th centuries incorporated a number of different logistical and strategic problems each with the potential to disrupt even the most carefully laid plans. Preparation of military campaigns concerned the recruiting, mobilisation, equipping and feeding of a vast number of men which in turn was dictated by geography, availability and of course, the nature of the opposed forces. To this effect it is important to understand what exactly is meant by military organisation. For the sake of this argument, military organisation in Carolingian Europe was the planning, activating and carrying-out of predominantly offensive strategies with the objective of gaining or consolidating Frankish territory."
Abstract This paper examines how the Carolingian Empire, which united most of Western Europe under one ruler in the late eighth century AD, was based on the domination of the Franks, including some of the greatest European kings who ever ruled. It focuses on the rule of Charlemagne and how his reign is considered the apogee of the empire for several reasons. It looks at how he conquered much of Europe, promoted the spread of Christianity and generally improved his people's way of life.
From the Paper "Like Clovis I, Charlemagne was a devout Christian and a firm believer in education and therefore was a great supporter of both the clergy and faculty. "Charlemagne practised the Christian religion with great devotion and piety, for he had been brought up in this faith since earliest childhood" (Einhard, 104). He built a great Cathedral, called Holy Mother of God in Aachen and donated a great deal of money and relics to monasteries, churches and other religious institutions. He often personally chose which person would be appointed to a given position within the church, based on how wise and virtuous the candidates were. Not only did he further and improve religion in his own realm, by conquering other territories he spread Christianity's influence."
Abstract This paper looks at the greatness of the Emperor Charlemagne and examines ways in which the Carolingian empire was governed. The writer discusses that one of the reasons that the Emperor Charlemagne was so beloved by the Carolingian people he ruled, was that he showed compassion towards the peoples he conquered, seldom manifest during the era. The writer also notes that Emperor Charlemagne demonstrated an administrative balance between the needs of the governing state and the demands of the powerful Christian church. Using references to works on medieval literature, the writer discusses how Emperor Charlemagne was said to embody the perfect balance between Christian and secular demands in ruling an empire.
From the Paper "However, despite the general respect for Charlemagne, controversies were still rife during this era. The ninth century eventually became a pivotal epoch in terms of the influence of religion upon government and the development of Medieval Christendom, only tenuously resolved by Charlemagne. The collapse of Charlemagne's Empire, the onset of the Viking invasions proved politically divisive in terms of governance and there were also were the many doctrinal controversies inherent to Christianity of the period to further tear apart Christians. The Archbishop of Rheims, Hincmar took a very strong stand against the absolutist stance of papal monarchy or kingly rule--like Charlemagne, he attempted to strike a balance between the two authorial needs of Rome and kings."
This paper discusses "The Song of Roland", by an anonymous author, translated by Patricia Terry. It specifically examines the brave knight, Roland, the principal character.
Abstract The paper explains that "The Song of Roland" is an epic poem, which tells the story of how, after seven long years of fighting, King Charlemagne's French forces were eliminated by Muslim forces during the Crusades in Spain; Count Roland is Charlemagne's nephew, a brave and gallant knight who serves Charlemagne well. The author points out that this poem, probably written around the year 1100, is the oldest known epic poem, a format that was very popular at this time. The paper concludes that Roland, an epic hero and a symbol of knighthood and chivalry, demonstrates that those who are true to their beliefs and religion can do mighty things and will be greeted on their journey to heaven.
From the Paper "Roland is clearly Charlemagne's favorite, he says of him "'God! If I lose him, no one can take his place'" (35). Yet, even though he has an ominous dream, he sends Roland off to command the rear guard as Ganelon has suggested, and so, he seals Roland's fate. Yet, even though Ganelon is a traitor, Roland will not listen to anything bad about his stepfather. He admonishes Oliver when he calls him "false-hearted" (42), and is true to his family, even though they are not true to him. This intense loyalty extends to his king, to his men, and to his conviction that Christianity must spread throughout the world. This loyalty is an important part of chivalry, and Roland is an excellent example of what people of the time felt chivalry should represent."
Abstract "The relationship between the King and the Church in the Medieval Period varied somewhat according to the country involved. Differences can be perceived in the era of the Franks as depicted in the book by Gregory of Tours, The History of the Franks and in the world of Charlemagne as depicted by Einhard in his The Life of Charlemagne.
During the era described by Gregory of Tours, the church was in the process of establishing itself in Europe and was working on guiding the people and their leaders slowly away from the pagan ideologies that had prevailed to that time.
From the Paper "The relationship between the King and the Church in the Medieval Period varied somewhat according to the country involved. Differences can be perceived in the era of the Franks as depicted in the book by Gregory of Tours, The History of the Franks and in the world of Charlemagne as depicted by Einhard in his The Life of Charlemagne.
During the era described by Gregory of Tours, the church was in the process of establishing itself in Europe and was working on guiding the people and their leaders slowly away from the pagan ideologies that had prevailed to that time. Religion is a major theme in the book by Gregory, which is not surprising since he himself was a cleric and would become a bishop. He notes how the Christians were persecuted by the Vandals and others: "At this period the churches of God were assailed with..."
Abstract Charlemagne, the name given to Charles, King of France and the first Emperor of the western Christian Empire, lived and ruled during the eighth and ninth centuries, A.D. Over the course of his career as a leader, the Holy See, as its foremost defender and enforcer recognized Charlemagne. Under his rule, Christian Europe was effectively consolidated under one guiding political and religious body as had never been accomplished before. Over the course of this paper, his direct influence and control over the Church will be discussed.
Abstract This paper looks at the novel "Don Quixote" and the aspect of chivalry as a defined system of discipline and social interaction. The writer shows how this system was used by the classes of the warrior elites who grew from the old Norman rulers of England from the eleventh century, and from the noble French families that descended from the lineage of Charlemagne during the Carolingian dynasty. It also compares the chivalry of Don Quixote to this defined system of attitude.
From the Paper "The knights of old and chivalry are one for all time intermingled with destiny, the way of truth has always been seen to lie within this elite structure that was open only to the noble classes. Moreover we can also argue that with the elite structure of knight hood was only open to those members of the ruling classes after they had served a long arduous apprenticeship that lasted from the moment they were old enough to walk and talk. A dedicate upon is induction to the knight hood would swear to protect the weak, be courteous at all times, defend the church, be truthful, chaste and honourable (Wasserman 47). We can see by this that knights were an honourable and elite order, so much so that many a peasant aspired to be like these armoured men furthermore with so many stories and romances being written about these illustrious knights it is easy to understand why the role of a chivalric knight was the man to aspire to be, in this way we can see that Don Quixote delved into the ways of knighthood and fantasized himself to be one of these armoured men with honour and prestige. In looking at the book Don Quixote we will illustrate how Cervantes has produced an archetypal role of the Knight for his main character Quixano."
From the Paper "This study will compare three books on Charlemagne, Two Lives of Charlemagne, by Einhard, and Notker the Stammerer, and The Song of Roland, whose author we do not know. The study will focus not on the life of Charlemagne himself, but on the relative merits of the books themselves from a historical perspective, and the intentions of the authors. In general, both books share the same purpose, namely, to advance the cause of Christian heroism in battle. The books were both written in the Middle Ages at a turbulent time when the futures of both Europe and Christianity were being formed. Would Christianity triumph over paganism (paganism being any non-Christian religion or way of life)? Would chaos result if the great political/royal forces represented by the armies of Charlemagne and Roland failed in battle? The authors of the two books tackle these potent issues..."
