Charles the Great – the greatest ruler of the Middle Ages

Charles the Great was a Frank ruler from 768. to 814. year and from 800. year he was a emperor. The state of the Frank was the largest in his time. It was generally the largest state in Europe in the Middle Ages.

He belonged to the dynasty of Carolingian, founded by his father, Pepin the Short. In this post I will rely more on art than on conquests of Charles because he gave a great contribution to European art and revived it.

The Charles led many wars, his first opponents defeated was the Lombard kingdom which was located on the Apennine peninsula. He attacked them because he and his father before him had an agreement with the pope to defend him and his country from the Lombard's army. After beating Lombard's in 774, he became the only true ruler in Italy

This is a picture od the coronation of Charles the Great in Rome

After this war, Charles fought against Saxon's, Saracen's and against Avar's. He won in all wars except he was beaten by Basque's on the Pyrenean peninsula which destroyed a large part of his army.

Charles the Great was extremely appreciative of art. In many books we can find the term Carolingian Renaissance. What is it really? It is easiest to explain it as a period in which Charles has renewed education. He found a great pattern in the Roman Empire so he began to gather many intellectuals in his court. The most famous people on court was Alcuin from England who was a well known teacher, Peter of Pisa, Saint Angilbert and Einhard who wrote a biography od Charlemagne. These people have overwhelmed many antique works and have developed a new letter – minusculus which was similiar to today's writing stile.

Portrait od Einhard

Apart from the court itself, learning has developed most in monasteries and because of that more and more people were educated to become priests.

Charles the Great has also made a great contribution to the architecture. The most famous building made by him is the chapel in Aachen, the city where he spent most of his life. Many of the buldings were made in the pattern of that chapel, for example abbey Saint Denis in Paris.

Palatine Chapel, Aachen

Basilica Cathedral of Saint Denis, Paris

Charles the Great was the first who made more church entries and who started making large windows in the churches. He was one of the few rulers who saw almost all the buildings built in his time in his state and because of him and his art, a later Renaissance has evolved that has changed the whole concept of European culture.

It's all from me for today, I hope you've learned something new and I hope you will teach me something new over the comments! :)