Who is Charles, called the Great?

He is considered one of the most talented politicians, whose empire gave impetus to the rudiments of statehood among many peoples of Europe. Who is Karl, subsequently called the Great and what did he do?

This king influenced the approval of the papal state, reflected the sacred Arab war, developed education and culture, seized new lands, carried out reforms ... The King of the Franks, then the Langobard king, the Duke of Bavaria, and in the end the emperor of the West is all about him. Karl swung to re-create the Roman Empire, and he succeeded.

Origin

Charles is the son of the King of the Franks Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon. Although it is interesting that his father sat on the throne as a result of the coup d'état, and not simply inherited him as the successor to the monarch, although his veins also had blue blood, as he was a duke. Karl belonged to the Pipinids, but in his honor he was renamed the Carolingian dynasty.

Regarding the place and year of birth, historians can not come to a common denominator, because in some sources 742 are mentioned, in others 742, and in some 747. In which city it happened, is also one hundred percent unknown (perhaps in Aachen, Kiersi or Ingelheim). But there is no doubt about the date of death: Karl died in 814 and is buried in Aachen.

Relations with Carloman

But since the throne of the Franks was captured by Pipin, so that in the future no one could challenge the legality of the power of his heirs, he ordered that his two sons (Karl and his younger brother Carloman) be anointed to Pope Stefan II in 754. Pipin did not transfer the right to the throne to any one of his sons, but divided the territories of domination between them, which they were supposed to inherit after his death.

As a result, in 1968, Carl received Aquitaine, much of Neustria and Australia, as well as Thuringia, and his co-heir Carloman ruled over Burgundy, Provence, Gothia and Alemannia. And although, as they say, there was nothing to divide them, but there was always enmity between brothers. For example, Karl had well-founded fears that his brother wanted to collude with Desiderius, the King of the Lombards.

That's why Carl made a marriage with his daughter Desiderata and got the location of influential people from the environment of his father-in-law. This almost led to a war between the brothers, but Carloman fell ill and died in 771, and his wife was forced to flee with the children. Charles annexed his possessions to his own, so power over most of Europe was centralized.

Wars

But Karl did not stop there. Soon all Europe had to find out who Charlemagne was. He did not give rest to the constant skirmishes of the Franks and Saxons both on religious grounds (the latter adhered to paganism) and on territorial grounds, so in 772 he decided to unleash a war against them by invading Saxony.

But even before that, he sent Deziderat back, because he had no good relationship with her father. This greatly angered the Lombard king, and he wanted to anoint the throne of the young son of Carloman Pipin. Karl immediately launched an offensive. The Lombards and Franks troops met in the Alps area, but thanks to a skillful military maneuver, the latter effortlessly won. Desiderata disappeared in his capital Pavia. But after the siege the city surrendered, Karl forced the former father-in-law to get a monastic vows, and himself usurped the throne of Langobardia. At the same time, the King of the Franks secured peaceful relations with the papal state, promising him new lands.

When the Italian problems were solved, he resumed the war with the Saxons, in which he eventually won, although it took him 32 years. As a result, the Saxons were forcibly converted to Christianity, and their territories joined the possessions of Charles.

Also in 787, the Duke of Bavaria, Tassilon the Third, was hidden in a monastery and handed over to Karl his powers. Then came the turn of the Slavic tribes of the Lyutis, and then the Avars learn firsthand who Karl is. The victory was again on the side of the francs.

Although there were defeats, for example, in 777 in the battle with the Basques. In memory of this battle was written "Song of Roland."

At Christmas 800, Charles received the title of Emperor of the West. Even during his lifetime, he divided the domains between his three sons, but only Louis survived his father.

Peaceful achievements

But the king not only fought. Who is Karl as a cultural figure? He initiated a rebirth, later called Carolingian. The emperor established a system of universal education (although it concerned only men), created the Palace Academy of Arts, headed by the poet Alquin, promoted the dissemination of manuscript books. Under his rule, medieval Latin was formed as a language of science, a Romanesque style in architecture, roads, castles and defenses were built.

Who is Karl as a person?

Despite the achievements, he did not have a stellar illness. He did not like refined outfits and tables, breaking from the dishes, so he dressed almost like a commoner, and his dinners were modest and simple. Karl was fond of reading, astronomy, rhetoric. Possessed an enviable eloquence and charisma. In addition, the Emperor Charles was a religious man: he honored all rites and traditions.

So, judging from all of the above, Charles the Great is not for nothing called the father of Europe. He really made a huge contribution to the political, cultural and economic development of the territories under his control.