Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, King of the Franks was a strong leader who unified Western Europe through military power and the blessing of the Church. His belief in the need for education among the Frankish people was to bring about religious, political, and educational reforms that would change the history of Europe. Charlemagne was born in 742 at Aachen, the son of Pepin the Short and grandson of Charles Martel. His grandfather, Charles, had begun the process of unifying Western Europe, in the belief that all people should be Christian. Charlemagne's father, Pepin, continued this process throughout his rule and passed his beliefs on to Charlemagne. Upon Pepin's death in 768, Charlemagne and his brother, Carloman, each inherited half of the Frankish kingdom. Pepin, in the Merovingian tradition of the time, split his kingdom between his two sons. Three years later Carloman died and Charlemagne took control of the entire kingdom. Charlemagne used the army and his own skillful planning to more than double the size of the Frankish Kingdom. .
The world of Charlemagne was a heathen one, with many warring tribes and kingdoms. Charlemagne conquered many of these tribes. Charlemagne actually defeated them many times, but due to their faithlessness and their propensity to return to their Pagan lifestyle, the Saxons lost many lives in the prolonged battles with the Franks. With each conquest the Frankish kingdom grew, and with growth came additional power and responsibility for Charlemagne. Those people who refused to convert or be baptized in the church were put to death. The Church played a vital role in the kingdom of Charlemagne. It gave a sense of stability to Charlemagne's rule, and he in turn provided stability in the Church. The people conquered by Charlemagne, after being converted to Christianity, were taught through the Bible a unified code of right and wrong. It was necessary for the Church to play a role in this education of the people, because only the clergy were educated.
If we think virtue, courtesy, piety, and honor, we must remember that this was brought to us from a dark time in history. ... Courtly love brought many tales of romance that we tend to remember in such legends as King Arthur and Charlemange. These romance legends will forever live on throughout all of history. ...
For centuries the Roman Catholic Church had dominated Western Europe both politically and religiously. The Church gave its blessing to king and emperors, this was evident with the crowning of Charlemange by Pope Leo III on Christmas day. The Church was also able to force its will and influence on t...
