His coronation as Emperor and Augustus is also revealed to be less impressive than it was fortuitous. Pope Leo III, fleeing persecution and seeking to regain his authority "had been compelled to call upon the king for help- (Einhard 141). Help arrived, and with no hesitation Charlemagne reasserted the papal authority. But according to the East, Rome still had an emperor, just one that resided in Constantinople. Hence, one could argue that it was not by his conquering or his resemblance to the ancient Roman imperial dynasties of the past that he was given these titles, but rather it was due only to the combination of papal fear of Lombardic aggression, the estrangement of the papacy from the east due to the Iconoclastic Controversy, and as a return favor from Leo. And in spite of Einhard's insistence that Charles at first "had such an aversion- to these titles, one remains skeptical. After all for someone in his position bent on resurrecting the old Christian Roman Empire it is hard to imagine the coronation coming as a surprise to the king. Indeed, one could argue that becoming Emperor and Augustus rather than being earned (if such things ever are) were simply honorifics given in fear and gratitude. However, since he was given the title and since his lands meet the empire quota' he became an emperor and his rule was not questioned for the rest of his reign. Or was it?.
It seems that throughout his years as king and Emperor Charles was forced to constantly squash any hint of resistance to his power. Fear, it seems, motivates the man (as it does all men) to take steps to insure his survival. Within a set of his Capitularies, or the laws written down into chapters for his empire, we learn of one of the major steps towards this insurance, and perhaps we are given a sign that his authority was in doubt. This evidence was the existence of the missi dominici, or the sovereign's envoys'.
