Charlemagne
Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, was a medieval emperor. When he died in 814, Charlemagne’s empire included much of Western Europe. Today, Charlemagne is often referred to as the father of Europe.
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was one of Medieval Europe's most famous Kings. He became king of the Franks at age 26, in 768 CE, when his father died.
Charlemagne was very tall, standing over 6 feet. Charlemagne was not one to sit on a throne and rule. He was always roaming about, either in one of his castles or through the countryside. If you wanted the king to do something, you had to walk with him.
Charlemagne always led his troops into battle. He was a great warrior and even though he fought in many battles he managed to survive them all and live into his seventies. Since most people died much younger during the medieval times this was another wonder and part of his mystique.
Expansion: The Franks were a great warrior tribe. Charlemagne and the Franks defeated most of the other tribes in Europe and expanded the Frankish Empire to cover Germany, France, Italy, and parts of Spain. From his position in northern Italy, Charlemagne was able to help out the Popes, who could no longer count on getting help from the Roman Empire. In exchange, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor.
Education & Preservation: Charlemagne believed deeply in education, He created a learning center at his main castle. Charlemagne brought scholars from all over the world to teach others how to read and write. He also had them copy all the old manuscripts he could find. Charlemagne could read, but he could not write. His fingers were too gnarled and battered from war to hold a pen. He also opened schools around his empire.
Standardized Money: Appointed tax collectors would travel around his empire to collect the yearly taxes. The amount of the tax was set based upon the population. Everyone knew how much tax they owed. But there was a problem. Since most people paid their taxes through barter, the local tax collector could set the value for the barter. Charlemagne came up with a better system. He created silver coins, each with a set value to use instead. Thus a farmer could sell his crops for silver coins and then pay his tax with the silver coins. There was no way to cheat on this.
Charlemagne was one of Medieval Europe's most famous Kings. He became king of the Franks at age 26, in 768 CE, when his father died.
Charlemagne was very tall, standing over 6 feet. Charlemagne was not one to sit on a throne and rule. He was always roaming about, either in one of his castles or through the countryside. If you wanted the king to do something, you had to walk with him.
Charlemagne always led his troops into battle. He was a great warrior and even though he fought in many battles he managed to survive them all and live into his seventies. Since most people died much younger during the medieval times this was another wonder and part of his mystique.
Expansion: The Franks were a great warrior tribe. Charlemagne and the Franks defeated most of the other tribes in Europe and expanded the Frankish Empire to cover Germany, France, Italy, and parts of Spain. From his position in northern Italy, Charlemagne was able to help out the Popes, who could no longer count on getting help from the Roman Empire. In exchange, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor.
Education & Preservation: Charlemagne believed deeply in education, He created a learning center at his main castle. Charlemagne brought scholars from all over the world to teach others how to read and write. He also had them copy all the old manuscripts he could find. Charlemagne could read, but he could not write. His fingers were too gnarled and battered from war to hold a pen. He also opened schools around his empire.
Standardized Money: Appointed tax collectors would travel around his empire to collect the yearly taxes. The amount of the tax was set based upon the population. Everyone knew how much tax they owed. But there was a problem. Since most people paid their taxes through barter, the local tax collector could set the value for the barter. Charlemagne came up with a better system. He created silver coins, each with a set value to use instead. Thus a farmer could sell his crops for silver coins and then pay his tax with the silver coins. There was no way to cheat on this.