Charlemagne Biography
Charlemagne was the son of Pepin the Short and had a brother called Carloman. After his father died Charlemagne shared the succession to his father's kingdom with his brother. When Carloman died in 771 Charlemagne claimed his lands and disinherited Carloman's sons. Caloman's sons and wife fled to the court of Desiderius, the king of the Lombards. Desiderius conquered part of the papal lands and attempted to force Pope Adrian I to recognise Carloman's sons. Charlemagne entered the war in 773 on the side of the pope and defeted the Lombards. At Rome Charlemagne was recieved as a Roman nobleman and he confirmed his father's donation to the Holy See. He, later, took over Pavia, the Lombard capital, and assumed the iron crown of the king of the Lombards, who lived in Italy.
In 778 Charlemagne invaded Spain, trying to take advantage of the civil war amongst the muslim rulers of Spain, but was ejected at Zaragoza. Charlemagne made his domination over Saxony complete in 804 after 32 years of invasions and battles. Barcelona was catured in 801 and the whole country started to crumble from then-on-out. Charlemagne used forced conversions, massacres and transportation of thousands of Saxons to the interior of the Frankish Kingdom to dominate Saxony.
The new pope of 799, Pope Leo III, was threatened by the Romans, who wanted him removed from the position of pope. Pope Leo III asked Charlemagne to help hime retain his popedom, and Charlemagne accepted and rushed to his side to support him. Because of his loyalty to Pope Leo III, Charlemagne was crowned as emperor of Rome on Christmas Day in 800. Charlemagne's rule of the former Roman Empire in
western Europe and completed the break between the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. In 812 Charlemagne recieved recognition from the emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Michael I, and, in return, Charlemagne abandoned his claims to the Byzantine cities of Istria, Dalmatia and Venice.
The end of Charlemagne's reign was dotted with invasions from the Norse and Danes. At the end of his reign Charlemagne focused on creating a fleet to protect his lands. In 813, Charlemagne made his son, Louis I, co-emperor and his successor. Louis I was crowned at Aachen.
In 778 Charlemagne invaded Spain, trying to take advantage of the civil war amongst the muslim rulers of Spain, but was ejected at Zaragoza. Charlemagne made his domination over Saxony complete in 804 after 32 years of invasions and battles. Barcelona was catured in 801 and the whole country started to crumble from then-on-out. Charlemagne used forced conversions, massacres and transportation of thousands of Saxons to the interior of the Frankish Kingdom to dominate Saxony.
The new pope of 799, Pope Leo III, was threatened by the Romans, who wanted him removed from the position of pope. Pope Leo III asked Charlemagne to help hime retain his popedom, and Charlemagne accepted and rushed to his side to support him. Because of his loyalty to Pope Leo III, Charlemagne was crowned as emperor of Rome on Christmas Day in 800. Charlemagne's rule of the former Roman Empire in
western Europe and completed the break between the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. In 812 Charlemagne recieved recognition from the emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Michael I, and, in return, Charlemagne abandoned his claims to the Byzantine cities of Istria, Dalmatia and Venice.
The end of Charlemagne's reign was dotted with invasions from the Norse and Danes. At the end of his reign Charlemagne focused on creating a fleet to protect his lands. In 813, Charlemagne made his son, Louis I, co-emperor and his successor. Louis I was crowned at Aachen.