Evaluating a historical figure: Charlemagne

17 Replies to “Evaluating a historical figure: Charlemagne”

1. Charlemagne was an influential and resolute king who established the Holy Roman Empire, a state that was designed to emulate the successes of the Roman Empire, whilst spreading the Christian faith at the same time. Charlemagne’s own contributions to the success of his state were immense; he expanded the borders of the Carolingian Empire from an area roughly comparable to France to a state that bordered on one side the Roman Empire and on the other the Slavic Peoples, while also bordering Spain to the east.

   As with many great conquerors, Charlemagne’s own methods of gaining hegemony over such a large body of land, people, and power were perhaps more questionable. Charlemagne’s conquests resulted in the massacre of thousands of people, many of whom were inhumanely slaughtered due to their refusal to convert to Christianity and reject their pagan gods. On one particularly ruthless day of slaughter, Charlemagne and his troops killed 4500 Saxon pagans. Unlike many other mass murderers, however, Charlemagne was in many other ways a virtuous man. He encouraged the learning of writing and reading, unhappy about his own deficiencies in the field, and always remained a pious man with a great reverence for his supposed god of the Christians. His numerous innovations and wise decisions regarding laws led to his state being an immensely organised and industrious one that provided justice for many.

   During Charlemagne’s reign, a minor yet notable Renaissance took place, with people becoming progressively more engrossed in the teachings of the classical-era Romans and other enlightened groups than they had been for centuries. While he made many ill-considered decisions on his treatment of the pagans, his forward-thinking innovations influenced the world we live in today and left Western Europe a more just and literate place than it had been before his rise to power.

2. Charlemagne was the conqueror of Western Europe in the 800s. After his younger brother Carloman passed away, Charlemagne inherited the kingdom of the Franks which he then expanded rapidly. At that time, parts of Europe were still pagan and many people were reverting to “barbarian” ways or neglecting sufficient healthy lifestyles and education in the centuries after Rome’s downfall. Because of this, Charlemagne planned a 30-year military campaign to convert the citizens into what he considered orderly Christian believers. Succeeding in this mission, the states that he united were transformed, although not always in his subjects’ favour. Many were slaughtered because they disagreed with Charlemagne’s beliefs, including the Saxons. However, his innovative ideas and knowledgeable actions, as well as his political power, moved Pope Leo III to have him crowned as the emperor of the Romans, after a rebellion against the Pope had been brought under control with Charlemagne’s support. Charlemagne’s determination to create a kind of unity in the states of Europe under his sway confirms that his authority was supreme. Even though he may have had good intentions in uniting Europe and promoting Christianity, his merciless actions betrayed his civilised ideas.

3. is emit repoons really “venturing anything” or is he “venturing anywhere”?
   just a question

4. CHARLEMAGNE
   Charlemagne was the King/Emperor of the Franks who later united Europe (very forcefully) to establish what was called the Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne was a very, very influential part of the foundation of modern Europe. Charlemagne as an Emperor took so many Slavic people as slaves that his people started using ‘Slave’ to mean slave. Charlemagne murdered many pagans and non-believers in christianity during his military campaign to conquer and unite eastern Europe. Charlemagne is seen by many to be a good man that did more great things than bad. He learnt to read Latin and Greek yet could never write. He believe that a government should work to better those governed. He contributed so much to the law, justice and education of modern Europe. I very heavily criticise his slaughter of pagans to form his great empire but I believe it was essential to his project. His enslavement of such a large amount of people was also very wrong considering he was all about unity and creating a fair government with proper laws and justice. I do however very much like how he maintained and brought back the level of religion and education that was always present in the Roman Empire of old. On one occasion Charlemagne tried to marry the empress of the Byzantine Empire in an attempt to unite the old Roman which I think would have done Europe and Modern Europe a lot of good. However he was denied by the Byzantines as they took him for a simple Barbaric Frank. Overall Charlemagne was a great man that perhaps used a few unorthodox methods to create his empire, but he did a lot more good in his life than he did bad.

5. Well, I think he could do both, couldn’t he? – Ms Green

6. Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, ruled Western Europe from 768 to 814 as a medieval emperor. Sometimes called the king of the Franks, Charlemagne is well-known for being the “father of Rome” and is often credited with the establishment of the “Holy Roman Empire”. He was educated and a talented military strategist and was admired by many people. He is recognized for eradicating the former unjust system of trial by ordeal and replacing it with trial by jury. Charlemagne is also greatly respected for his enthusiasm and encouragement for learning, education, and schooling. Personally, I admire him for his significant contributions to the world of law and justice. His many great accomplishments include setting up a systematic government and a standardized currency. However, a side of Charlemagne that is often not mentioned in scholarly articles is the violence he instigated during his rule. He endeavored to convert his subjects to Christianity and viciously killed anyone who resisted his religion, beliefs, or power in general. Charlemagne would forcefully Baptize non-Christians and killed tens of thousands of non-believers and pagans on a daily basis. He is infamous for having once killed over 4500 Saxon prisoners in a single day. Overall, Charlemagne should be commended for his numerous achievements however, his ruthless side should be remembered as well.

7. Charlemagne (meaning “Charles the Great”) became the king of the Franks and Emperor of the Holy Empire in 771 at the ripe old age of 40. Charlemagne was a great king who led a powerful empire and at the same time, an advocate of the idea of improving his subjects’ lives. I admire his strength and power. He was able to make an already powerful kingdom into a more powerful empire. He expanded the size of the kingdom through conquests. I also admire how he set up the palace school and monastic schools throughout the empire. BUT I do believe that his violent and barbaric ways could have been altered; after all, he did murder thousands of innocent people just to contain them and subjugate them. His actions were inhumane and can be considered ruthless, yet the end result of this was indeed useful, for the citizens were finally obedient, meaning his orders proved influential and effective. His ways contradicted what the Bible that he held said; especially number six of the Ten Commandments: ‘Thou shall not kill.’ He acted like a hypocrite in preaching to others the ways of God yet failing to follow these precepts himself, as he showed when he killed those who refused to accept his ideology. Although Charlemagne is referred to by some people as the father of Europe, this does not mean he did not dirty his hands with the blood of the innocent. Overall, I think he was a hypocritical leader as he taught others not to kill but he himself killed others; he had great power, yet blood-bathed hands.

8. Charlemagne was born in Liege during the 740s as the eldest son of the Frankish king. He was a determined ruler, spending time on campaigns to expand his territories and convert others to Christianity. After many conquests, he gained control of Saxony, parts of northern Italy and northern Spain. When a rebellion against the current Pope began, he ruthlessly fought and quelled the rebels. He was crowned the Roman Emperor by the Pope on Christmas day as thanks for saving the Pope. His empire quickly became known as the Carolingian Empire. Charlemagne promoted education and standardised writing, weights, money and measurement. Although he did many influential things for Europe he was also cruel in the slaughter of thousands of people who refused to convert to Christianity. His death occurred in 814 and the forward-thinking empire slowly crumbled.

9. Charlemagne was the King of the Franks and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Although the Frankish Empire was already powerful when Charlemagne’s father died, Charlemagne made the Empire even stronger. Like his father and grandfather, he expanded his kingdom. Charlemagne’s method of expansion was a rather barbaric one, and involved the slaughter of many thousands of people who opposed him in some way in his conquests.

   However, acquiring all that new territory meant Charlemagne had to alter the way he managed his kingdom, so he gave the job of minding the provinces to Frankish nobles and issued decrees that applied to everyone. The same Charlemagne who had murdered thousands of people also recognised that different ethnic groups lived in his kingdom; he allowed each of these groups to keep their own laws in their local areas and also had them written down. This was a far-seeing and civilised act. Charlemagne also promoted education and urged on the Carolingian Renaissance, and came up with a method of handwriting that allowed for a much easier understanding of written text.

   Like many others who have gone down in history, Charlemagne made some innovative decisions and also some ill-judged ones. In the end, I think his good actions outweighed the bad.

10. Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, ruled Western Europe from 768 to 814 as a medieval emperor. Sometimes called the king of the Franks, Charlemagne is sometimes described as the “father of Europe” and is often credited with the establishment of the “Holy Roman Empire”.
    He was educated and a talented military strategist and was admired by many people. He is recognized for eradicating the former unjust system of trial by ordeal and replacing it with trial by jury. Charlemagne is also greatly respected for his enthusiasm and encouragement for learning, education, and schooling. Personally, I admire him for his significant contributions to the world of law and justice. His many great accomplishments include setting up a systematic government and a standardized currency.
    However, a side of Charlemagne that is often not mentioned in scholarly articles is the violence he instigated during his rule. He endeavoured to convert his subjects to Christianity and viciously punished anyone who resisted his religion, beliefs, or power in general. Charlemagne would forcefully baptize non-Christians and killed tens of thousands of non-believers and pagans on a daily basis. He is infamous for having once killed over 4500 Saxon prisoners in a single day.
    Overall, Charlemagne should be commended for his numerous achievements; his ruthless side, however, should be remembered as well.

11. Charlemagne

    Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, was a devout Christian, military genius and popular in his court. Charlemagne ruled the Holy Roman Empire from 771 to 814 C.E.
    He advocated education and art, and under his rule, the arts flourished: this was a kind of mini-Renaissance.
    Yet Charlemagne was also a ruthless and sometimes cruel leader who did not mind using brute force to achieve his goals. After the fall of Rome, many of the pagans began to fall into their old “barbaric” ways. Charlemagne decided, in his thirst for power, land and a way to convert the “uncivilised” pagans into “orderly” Christians, to slaughter thousands of pagans through brutal military campaigns if they refused to submit to his reign. Some historians assert that these campaigns were one of the factors that caused the increase in viking raids.

    His determination, unwavering faith and love for the arts and education are very admirable traits that belonged to Charlemagne, although his mass religious genocide was a vice of his character.

12. Charlemagne, the king of the Franks and the person often credited with the title “Father of Europe”, was a resolute, influential king who ruled parts of Western Europe from 768 to 814. Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, is remembered for bringing his empire to unity and for achieving an extensive advancement in law, justice and education. Some, however, remember him as a ruthless mass murderer who killed thousands of people for rejecting the new rising religion, Christianity, and for opposing him as their new leader. When he became the sole ruler of the Frankish kingdom after his brother’s assassination, Charlemagne was determined to promote church reform and the spread of Christianity, later establishing the Holy Roman Empire. Throughout his lifetime, he was successful in forming a centralized government with a standardized currency as well as improving the intellectual life of that time. Despite these visionary aspects of his character, this was achieved through force and massacres of thousands of Saxons. Charlemagne slaughtered 4500 Saxon prisoners in a single day and forcefully baptized non-Christians to convert them to Christianity. However, the positive factors of what he had achieved through his lifetime overweigh the negative impact he brought to his kingdom. 🙂

13. Charlemagne was a capable leader and emperor. He and his brother inherited the kingdom of the Franks from their father. His brother died and soon he became the sole ruler. His kingdom was falling into barbarian ways. Europe was in chaos at this point in history. Charlemagne, determined to strengthen his land and rule, waged war for 30 years. He soon ruled over Western Europe. I admire his social skills to make connections with influential people who then owed him some form of allegiance. His violent military program can be seen as bringing a pseudo Pax-Romana.

    His violent actions and massacres can be criticized, but it was more peaceful after his actions. However, I would criticize the fact that he went off to protect the church leaders while neglecting much else. His greatest flaw was choosing a successor for himself as his kingdom/empire fell shortly after his passing. Thus, it can be seen that his legacy was lost to some degree, despite his being the holy Roman emperor. His establishments in education can be viewed as part of his legacy, particularly his determination to have ancient texts written down.

14. Suleiman I was born on November 6th 1494 as the only child of Selim I. He was born at Trabzon which is the Black Sea’s coast of Turkey. Once he reached the age of 26 in the year 1520, he became the 10th ‘Sultan’ or leader for the empire. Here he was known as ‘Kanuni’ or the Lawgiver. During his reign of the Ottoman empire he captured Belgrade in 1521 and Rhodes in 1522. His fleet was the master of the Red sea and pretty much also the whole of the Mediterranean. Suleiman was a poet and an accomplished goldsmith as well as being a great leader. He died on September 6th 1566 during a war with Austria outside Szigetvar in Hungary. This battle was lead by his Grand Vizier Sokullu Mehmed Pasha. They eventually fell to the Ottomans.

15. Charles le Magne (Charles the Great), aka Charlemagne, aka Karl der Grosse, which also means Charles the Great, and, Carolus Magnus, had, as shown, many aliases. He was well versed in the art of conquering and subduing, and in return, was known throughout many lands, across different languages and cultures. He subdued peoples ranging from northern Spain to modern Hungary. As King of the Franks, he strengthened the power of his empire with the land, money and skills of other countries, converting each peoples to Christianity, and promoting learning, establishing schools and even learning through his own private tutor.
    He also passed certain laws in his Capitulatio de partibus Saxoniae, such as: 6 – Law against falsely accusing someone of being a witch and burning or eating them, number 8, reinforcing his religious and brutal views – “If any one of the race of the Saxons hereafter concealed among them shall have wished to hide himself unbaptized, and shall have scorned to come to baptism and shall have wished to remain a pagan, let him be punished by death.” Or, in other words, if you do not want to be baptised, your only path left is death. He was a ruthless ruler who had no qualms against killing in his own sense of justice.

16. Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, was the king of the Frank Empire as well as the ‘Holy Roman emperor’ who ruled a large majority of Western Europe in the early middle ages. He was a superior king who dominated over a powerful empire, expanding his territory as a skilled and determined military strategist. Acknowledged for being an influential and ingenious conqueror; his wars were skillfully planned and fought and his contribution to education, the law of Europe and commerce is definitely admirable. In spite of that, he was also responsible for the inhumane mass murder of civilians that did not wish to convert Christianity. His choosing to rule with blood thirsty and immoral belief was quite hypocritical as he wanted to kill; thinking that it would help his religion despite killing being against one of the main Ten Commandments of Christianity, “Thou shalt not kill”. His barbaric behaviour caused massacres of thousands of Saxons every day.

    Overall, I think Charlemagne should be admired for his many contributions that helped shape society today, but his ruthless and brutal conduct should not be forgotten.

17. Charlemagne, also known as Charles, was King of the Franks. He united a large part of Europe in the Middle Ages and laid the foundations for France and Germany. Charlemagne was not like the other kings. Instead of watching jesters perform at a meal, he would invite scholars to read learned works. This means that Charlemagne was very interested in gaining knowledge instead of entertainment. He was very talented in the art of languages, he knew Latin, Greek and other languages. He was not only interested in learning, but he also enjoyed athletics. He would go hunting and horse riding. He believed that the Government should benefit the governed. He wanted to improve his subjects’ lives. However, no king is perfect. Charlemagne was very dedicated to Christianity. During his 30-year campaign, he slaughtered thousands of non-believers and those who would not convert to Christianity.