He Was The “Father Of Europe”
Charlemagne reigned as King of the Franks and King of the Lombards before a curious coronation ceremony made him “Emperor of the Romans” too. From the battlefield to the altar, Charlemagne rebuilt the Western Roman Empire and unified Christendom—at the point of a sword, if need be.
1. He Was Born—Sometime, Somewhere
Charlemagne would shape history forever. but his own history is something of a mystery. Some sources claim that he was born on April 2, 748, while others put the year as 742. It’s not entirely clear where he was born. Chroniclers can’t seem to agree whether his birthplace was Aachen, Liège, Herstal, or Quierzy.
But they did agree on one thing: he was born into destiny.
Louis-Félix Amiel, Wikimedia Commons
2. He Took After His Father
As the eldest son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon, Charlemagne inherited his father’s kingdom—and his ambition. His very name honored his legendary grandfather, Charles Martel, the man who halted the Moors at Tours. Greatness was in Charlemagne’s blood. And his name.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
3. He Earned His “Great” Name
Before he was “the Great,” Charlemagne was simply “Charles”. However, even in his lifetime, given his accomplishments, he needed a stronger name. The French called him Charles le Magne—Charles “the Great”—while Latin scribes hailed him as Carolus Magnus. No matter the language, everyone agreed: this kid was different.
Morphart Creation, Shutterstock
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4. He Was A Student Of Swords And Scrolls
Though no one knows how far his schooling went, Charlemagne was as clever as they came. He likely spent his youth at his father’s wandering court, learning battle tactics and diplomacy instead of grammar. Even so, he spoke multiple languages and understood Greek. There is debate as to his literacy.
But when you looked like Charlemagne, you didn’t need to read or write.
Unknown 15th century, Wikimedia Commons
5. He Looked “Stately And Diginified”
Einhard, a Charlemagne biographer, described him as “broad and strong,” with sparkling eyes and a laugh that could fill a hall. Einhard commented on Charlemagne’s short neck and round head but said that, despite those features, “his appearance was impressive whether he was sitting or standing”. He certainly stood out in a crowd.
Unknown 9th century artist, Wikimedia Commons
6. He Towered Over His Subjects
Using modern scientific techniques, historians have measured Charlemagne’s bones. And, suffice to say, he was large and in charge. The measurements of his left tibia suggest that he stood somewhere between 5’10” and 6’4”—a full head taller than most men of his era. In other words, he was ready to rule before he even ascended to the throne.
Karl von Blaas, Wikimedia Commons
7. He Stepped Into Power Early
By 760, before his father had vacated the throne, Charlemagne was already signing royal charters in his own name. When Pepin the Short passed on September 24, 768, the young prince wasted no time claiming his crown. He was anointed at Noyon, while his brother, Carloman, took his own coronation at Soissons the very same day.
He shared a crown, but not a kingdom.
8. He Shared The Throne—Uneasily
Though Charlemagne and his brother technically ruled one kingdom, they lived as rivals. Charlemagne governed the north and east from his palace in Austrasia, while Carloman ruled Burgundy, Provence, and Aquitaine. The peace between them was as fragile as the borders they drew.
Screenshot from Charlemagne, le prince à cheval, France 2 (1993)
9. He Took A Lover Before His Crown
Before his royal wedding, Charlemagne had a relationship with a noblewoman named Himiltrude. Together, they had a son, Pepin—later nicknamed “the Hunchback”. Whether or not the couple ever married remains unclear, but the alliance produced a child who would one day challenge his father’s throne with devastating consequences.
Photo Josse/Leemage, Getty Images
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10. He Married For Politics, Not Passion
In 770, Charlemagne’s mother, Bertrada, arranged a marriage to secure peace with Lombardy. Her son dutifully wed King Desiderius’ daughter, known to history as Desiderata. The union was brief, cold, and entirely political. But it set the stage for a conflict that would define his reign.
Screenshot from Charlemagne, le prince à cheval, France 2 (1993)
11. He Had The Crown To Himself
Charlemagne’s joint rule with his brother didn’t last long. And, thankfully, fate intervened before he had to. His brother suddenly passed on December 4, 771, leaving Charlemagne to claim the entire Frankish kingdom all to himself. He marched straight into his brother’s lands, forcing Carloman’s widow, Gerberga, and her children to flee to Lombardy for protection.
No one, however, was safe from Charlemagne.
Internet Archive Book Images, Wikimedia Commons
12. He Dumped His Wife For A New One
Charlemagne didn’t take kindly to Desiderius harboring his brother’s family. To show his displeasure—and strengthen his grip on the new territories—he cast aside Desiderius’ daughter as his wife and married Hildegard. As the daughter of Count Gerold, one of Carloman’s most powerful nobles, the marriage solidified Charlemagne’s grip on power.
And he secured his crown just in time.
Birk, Johannes, Wikimedia Commons
13. He Sacked The Saxons’ Favorite Site
In 772, having absorbed his brother’s lands into his kingdom, Charlemagne turned his gaze eastward to the wild, pagan lands of the Saxons. Even before his reign, the Saxons had been raiding Frankish borders. But a new king meant new rules—Charlemagne didn’t play nice like his ancestors. With his fearsome army at his back, Charlemagne destroyed a sacred Saxon site and made off with their gold and silver.
The fight, however, was far from over.
Screenshot from Charlemagne, le prince à cheval, France 2 (1993)
14. His Saxon Problem Would Never End
Charlemagne’s first Saxon campaign in 772 was only the beginning. His conflict with them would stretch on for more than three decades—longer than most men of the time lived. From 772 to 804, Charlemagne waged nearly continuous battles against Saxons, baptizing, exiling, or executing anyone who refused to bend the knee to Christ—or to him.
You might say that Charlemagne was the sword of Christendom.
UniversalImagesGroup, Getty Images
15. He Marched To Save The Pope
As Charlemagne mopped up the floor with the Saxons, Desiderius began plotting his revenge against his former son-in-law, conspiring with Carloman’s heirs. But, when Pope Adrian I begged Charlemagne for help against Desiderius Lombards, Charlemagne saw his opportunity. He assembled his armies and crossed the Alps in 773, laying siege to the Lombard capital of Pavia.
Popes would forever be in Charlemagne’s debt.
Artaud de Montor (1772–1849), Wikimedia Commons
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16. He Made A Pact With The Pope
Ever the devout Christian, Charlemagne paused his siege of Pavia in 774 and traveled to Rome to celebrate Easter in style. There, Pope Adrian I, indebted to Charlemagne for his rescue of the Vatican, staged a grand reception for the conquering Frankish hero. Together, the two men swore solemn oaths, sealing their alliance—and the fate of Europe.
AnonymousUnknown author editor: Antoine Vérard, Wikimedia Commons
17. He Conquered A Kingdom
By June 774, Charlemagne’s siege of Pavia was in full effect, leaving the Lombards starving and sick. Desiderius’ men, sensing their defeat, surrendered to Charlemagne without much of a fight. With the support of the local nobles and city leaders, he made himself King of the Lombards—and turned Italy into a Frankish province.
The choice was clear: join…or else.
18. He Forced The Saxons To Convert
The celebrations of his conquest of Lombardy had barely finished when Charlemagne went back on campaign. In 776, he returned to the eastern front of his kingdom to crush yet another Saxon uprising, burning villages and forcing entire tribes to accept baptism into the Christian faith. Converts received mercy; rebels received the sword.
His faith was as fierce as his fury.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
19. He Drove A Rebel Into Exile
The following year, to consolidate his growing kingdom, Charlemagne summoned both Frankish nobles and newly conquered Saxons to a massive assembly at Paderborn. There, many Saxons pledged loyalty—but one man refused. Widukind, a defiant Saxon chieftain, slipped north into Denmark to regroup.
Thankfully for Widukind, Charlemagne had bigger fish to fry—for the time being.
Ary Scheffer, Wikimedia Commons
20. He Suffered A Rare Setback
While at Paderborn, emissaries from al-Andalus arrived with a bold request for Charlemagne: help overthrow their rival Muslim rulers. Ever ambitious, Charlemagne led his army across the Pyrenees in 778, meeting little resistance. But it was all a feint. While traversing the Roncevaux Pass, Basque warriors ambushed his rear guard in a brutal surprise attack that left his men reeling.
It was a rare defeat for Charlemagne, but his army escaped the ambush with barely a scratch. His next defeat was a personal one.
Theodoro Matteini, Wikimedia Commons
21. He Was A King Among Kings
In 781, Charlemagne and his wife Hildegard journeyed to Rome with one mission in mind: begin the dynasty. With their children in tow, they arrived in Rome where Pope Adrian baptized young Carloman, renamed him Pepin, and crowned both Pepin and Louis. With that act, Charlemagne was now a king among kings.
But he couldn’t seem to keep a queen.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
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22. He Lost His Queen And His Mother
During that same Roman visit, Hildegard gave birth to a daughter, Gisela—but tragedy soon followed. After returning to Francia, Hildegard passed on during childbirth…along with her newborn namesake. Grief-stricken, Charlemagne ordered daily Masses for her soul. But, just months later, he lost his mother, Bertrada, too.
He didn’t mourn for long.
Klosterchronik1499.JPG: Birk, Johannes
derivative work: Hic et nunc, Wikimedia Commons
23. He Married Again—Swiftly
Charlemagne didn’t linger long in mourning. By the end of 783, he had remarried, this time to Fastrada. She was the daughter of an East Frankish noble and their union strengthened Charlemagne's hold on the eastern frontier where his feud with the Saxons still raged on. Then an old enemy came back into the picture.
Oscar Pletsch, Wikimedia Commons
24. He Faced A Saxon Surprise
Just when he thought he had subdued the Saxons, Charlemagne’s old nemesis Widukind returned from exile in Denmark. And he came back swinging. Widukind rallied the Saxons to his side and ambushed a Frankish force, dealing a crushing blow. Widukind thought he had scored a victory—but he had only poked the bear.
25. He Answered With Brutal Fury
When word reached Charlemagne of Widukind’s surprise attack, he wasted no time reasserting his authority. At the head of an army, Charlemagne stormed to Verden and demanded justice. Widukind, however, fled once he heard Charlemagne was coming. The Saxon nobles, fearing reprisal, handed over thousands of captives to Charlemagne. But it did nothing to appease him.
Instead of forgiveness, Charlemagne ordered 4,500 Saxon captives to be executed in one day. History would call it the Massacre of Verden.
J. / P. Fansten, Wikimedia Commons
26. He Couldn’t Escape The Stain
Even centuries later, the stain from the blood of 4,500 Saxon captives sullied Charlemagne’s reputation. “Although this figure may be exaggerated,” wrote the historian Johannes Fried, “the basic truth of the event is not in doubt”. Historian Alessandro Barbero went further, calling it “perhaps the greatest stain on his reputation”.
A stain that he seemed to wear proudly.
Hermann Knackfuß, Wikimedia Commons
27. He Wanted To Erase The Saxons
Charlemagne’s word was every bit as brutal as his sword. To cement control over Saxony, he issued the Capitulatio de partibus Saxoniae, a decree with no mercy in it. Pagans who refused baptism or practiced their old rites faced execution. Charlemagne wanted to erase Saxon culture from Europe altogether.
And he very nearly succeeded.
Alphonse de Neuville, Wikimedia Commons
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28. He Finally Broke The Saxons
By 785, after years of devastation, Charlemagne had finally subdued Saxony. When Widukind emerged once more, the king offered him peace—and baptism. In a grand ceremony, the rebel chieftain stood before the altar with Charlemagne himself serving as his former nemesis’ godfather. The Saxon battles were over.
The empire-building has just begun.
29. He Conquered Another Kingdom
With the Saxons defeated, Charlemagne could look elsewhere for expansion. And he looked to Italy. Charlemagne marched into Benevento, forcing Duke Arechis to flee to Salerno. Before long, Arechis submitted, offering his loyalty and his own son as a hostage. Charlemagne accepted with a smile; he’d added yet another crown to his collection.
But now his kingdom bordered a fierce foe—or a powerful friend.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
30. He Snubbed The Eastern Empire
While in Italy, Charlemagne met envoys from Constantinople, the seat of power in the Eastern Roman Empire. But the meeting didn’t go well. Empress Irene had convened the Second Council of Nicaea without inviting Charlemagne or any Frankish bishops to represent his interests. Feeling slighted, Charlemagne broke off his daughter’s engagement to her son, Emperor Constantine VI.
The feud between Charlemagne in the West and the Byzantines in the East was getting heated.
Unknown 8th-century artist, Wikimedia Commons
31. He Wanted Everyone To Learn
Charlemagne wasn’t just about battles and beheadings. In fact, he issued a sweeping reform known as the Admonitio Generalis. It demanded schools in every monastery and cathedral, ensuring both priests and peasants could read Scripture. After all, he needed someone to administer the lands that he conquered.
And he wasn’t done conquering.
Jacob van Maerlant, Wikimedia Commons
32. He Turned His Eyes To Bavaria
With Italy under his thumb, Charlemagne looked north to Bavaria, where his cousin, Duke Tassilo, ruled. The duke had once been a loyal Frankish ally but now, his loyalty wavered. Charlemagne gathered his armies for an invasion, but before he could even yell, “Charge!” Tassilo surrendered. The feuds within his own family would get even worse.
Andreas Püttmann, Wikimedia Commons
33. He Betrayed His Own Blood
Tassilo’s fealty to Charlemagne didn’t last long—and neither did Charlemagne’s mercy. No sooner than Charlemagne returned home did he hear rumors that Tassilo was plotting with the Avars—the nomadic warriors who ruled the Danube plains—against him. Charlemagne, never one to tolerate betrayal, deposed Tassilo, but spared him from the gallows. Instead, he sent his cousin to a monastery and absorbed Bavaria into his kingdom.
The Avars, however, would not receive Charlemagne’s mercy.
Alphonse de Neuville, Wikimedia Commons
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34. He Set His Sights On The Avars
From his new base in Regensburg, Charlemagne stomped out any opposition to his rule in Bavaria. He launched campaign after campaign against the Avars. He struck from both Bavaria and Italy, and by 791, his armies had shattered Avar power.
The spoils filled his treasury, but loyalty was not something he could buy with gold. Or blood.
Screenshot from Charlemagne, le prince à cheval, France 2 (1993)
35. His Own Son Plotted Against Him
In 792, Charlemagne faced an immense betrayal. His eldest son, Pepin the Hunchback, turned on his father and plotted to overthrow him by any means. Bitter at being sidelined from the succession, he conspired with Bavarian nobles to kill his own father and brothers and pick the crowns from their severed heads.
The plot was audacious—and doomed from the start.
ullstein bild Dtl., Getty Images
36. He Crushed The Conspiracy
Before his treacherous son could strike, Charlemagne’s spies exposed the conspiracy. For his son’s co-conspirators, Charlemagne showed no mercy; he had them all put to the sword. But, for the perfidious prince, Charlemagne was merciful…kind of. Charlemagne banished his rebellious son to a monastery where only God could hear his schemes.
Screenshot from Charlemagne, le prince à cheval, France 2 (1993)
37. He Took On The Church Itself
That same year, Charlemagne convened a council at Regensburg to address a brewing theological feud. Spanish bishops were spreading “Adoptionism,” claiming Christ had been adopted by God rather than born divine of God. Charlemagne denounced it as heresy and commissioned the Libri Carolini, a fiery rebuttal that even challenged the authority of Nicaea.
His theological doctrines would bring him into conflict with his Byzantine neighbors.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
38. He Ruled Both Church And State
Never one to do things halfway, Charlemagne called another council in 794 at Frankfurt to settle the matter. The council confirmed his hardline stance on heresy and set forth a number of economic reforms that solidified his power and democratized Christian worship. His empire was becoming both godly and governed.
Jean-Victor Schnetz, Wikimedia Commons
39. He Lost Another Wife
Not long after the Council of Frankfurt, tragedy struck again. Charlemagne’s wife Fastrada fell ill and passed on. True to form, the king didn’t stay single for long—he soon married Luitgard, an Alamannian noblewoman with a calm temper and sharp mind. She would be his last queen.
unknown artist, Wikimedia Commons
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40. He Brought Fire To The Saxons—Again
Even as his councils preached peace, Charlemagne returned to his oldest battlefield: Saxony. From 794 to 799, he led yearly campaigns against the still-defiant Saxons. Even his own chroniclers used terms like “burning”, “ravaging”, “devastating”, and “laying waste” to describe Charlemagne’s campaigns in Saxony.
And he was about to add insult to injury.
John Cassell, Wikimedia Commons
41. He Replaced The Saxons
Charlemagne didn’t just beat the Saxons into submission. He replaced them. After deporting thousands of Saxons to Francia, he let in thousands of loyal Frankish nobles to take their place. Near the frontier, he built his grand palace at Aachen, complete with a magnificent chapel that still stands today as part of Aachen Cathedral.
His greatest accomplishment was still ahead.
42. He Was The Pope’s Last Chance
When Leo III became pope in 795, enemies in Rome accused him of corruption. They attacked him in the streets, nearly gouging out his eyes and ripping out his tongue. Bleeding and terrified, Leo III fled north, to the one man who could restore his power: Charlemagne.
43. He Saved The Pope From An Early Grave
Charlemagne was in the middle of another Saxon campaign when Leo III arrived at his camp. But the fleeing pope wasn’t alone. Leo’s foes had followed, and repeated their accusations in front of Charlemagne. Charlemagne listened calmly—calculating his next move—then sent Leo back to Rome under royal guard.
He wanted Leo III reinstalled in power. And, perhaps, a favor in return.
Artaud de Montor (1772–1849), Wikimedia Commons
44. He Couldn’t Judge The Pope
In November 800, Charlemagne made the first move in his imperial plan. He met Pope Leo III near Mentana—at the exact milestone where ancient Roman emperors began their ceremonial entrance into the Eternal City. He then oversaw the hearing of charges against Leo III but made a shrewd proclamation, declaring that no mere mortal could judge guilt or innocence of the pope. On December 23, Leo swore an oath declaring his innocence in all charges.
With Leo III back in power in Rome, Charlemagne’s plan was almost complete.
medieval monks, Wikimedia Commons
45. He Was Crowned “Emperor Of The Romans”
Two days later, on Christmas morning, Charlemagne and Pope Leo III stunned parishioners gathered at St Peter’s Basilica. Instead of a regular mass, they were about to witness the most pivotal moment in history since the fall of Rome. In a move that left everyone’s jaw on the floor, Pope Leo III placed a crown on Charlemagne’s head and called him Imperator Romanorum, Emperor of the Romans.
The coronation made Charlemagne the first emperor in the West since Rome’s fall in 476. But not all was as it seemed.
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46. He Claimed He Didn’t Want It
There is speculation amongst historians as to whether or not Charlemagne knew that Pope Leo III was going to crown him emperor. Charlemagne’s own biographer later wrote that the newly minted emperor “would not have entered the church that day” had he known Leo III’s intentions. Other historians, however, believe that Charlemagne orchestrated the entire thing.
Either way, he didn’t give the crown (or the empire) back.
Levan Ramishvili from Tbilisi, Georgia, Wikimedia Commons
47. He Loved His New Title
If Charlemagne was reluctant at first, he got over it quickly. From that day forward, he signed every royal document as “Charles, most serene Augustus, crowned by God, great peaceful emperor governing the Roman Empire, and who is by the mercy of God king of the Franks and the Lombards”. Given his new title, his behavior was curious.
48. He Never Returned To Rome
Charlemagne lingered in Italy after his coronation, resolving church disputes and even witnessing an earthquake in Spoleto. But by the summer of 801, he’d had enough. He returned to Aachen for good, never setting foot in the Eternal City again. After all, he had an empire to look after.
Hermann Knackfuß, Wikimedia Commons
49. He Divided His Empire By Design
In 806, Charlemagne issued the Divisio Regnorum—“The Division of the Realm”. It laid out which of his sons would inherit which lands. Charles the Younger was to receive Francia. Pepin (not the hunchback) was meant to inherit Italy, while Louis was poised to take Aquitaine. The only thing Charlemagne didn’t divide was the imperial crown.
But his grand designs for his empire were not to be.
50. He Lost His Heirs, One By One
Charlemagne’s careful plans unraveled almost as quickly as he had drawn them out. Pepin of Italy passed in 810, and Charles the Younger followed in 811. By the time the old emperor looked over his once-mighty empire, only Louis of Aquitaine remained. The “Father of Europe” was left with one son—and one last legacy to shape.
AnonymousUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
51. He Tried To Woo An Empress
Charlemagne’s coronation as emperor of a reborn Western Roman Empire put him in direct conflict with another empire: the Eastern Roman Empire. Instead of a destructive campaign, however, Charlemagne sought diplomacy. So, in 802, he exchanged envoys with Empress Irene and, according to the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes, even proposed marriage.
The union might have united East and West—but fate had other plans.
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52. He Lost His Eastern Bride
Before Empress Irene could accept Charlemagne’s proposal, she lost her throne to Emperor Nikephoros I. Unsurprisingly, Nikephoros I had no interest in marrying Charlemagne, and refused to recognize his imperial title. Their rivalry spilled into the Adriatic, where fleets clashed until Charlemagne’s deft diplomatic touch finally prevailed.
Unknown Byzantine scribes, Wikimedia Commons
53. He Finally Got His Recognition
Charlemagne sent envoys to meet with Nikephoros—but the meeting never happened. Nikephoros was no Charlemagne with a sword and he fell in battle before Charlemagne’s envoys could meet with him. Thankfully, Nikephoros’ successor, Michael I, was a lot more receptive to Charlemagne and sent his own emissaries to Aachen, officially recognizing Charlemagne as emperor.
To mark the moment, Charlemagne minted coins bearing his new title, uniting two worlds under one name.
Madrid Skylitzes, Wikimedia Commons
54. He Definitely “Fathered” Europe
Charlemagne truly was the “Father of Europe”—as in, he might have fathered all of Europe. With at least 18 children (possibly 20) his dynastic line would stretch on through the ages. Curiously, however, none of his daughters ever married, though a few of them mothered children out of wedlock. Still, he could rest assured that his empire would live on.
55. He Commended His Spirit To The Lord
On January 28, 814, after seven decades of battles, diplomacy, and empire-building, Charlemagne’s body finally failed him. Stricken by fever and pleurisy, the great emperor whispered his famous last words: “Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit”. The age of Charlemagne was over—but his legend had just begun.
56. He Became The “Father Of Europe”
Long after his passing, Charlemagne’s legacy lived on. Royal houses across Europe traced their lineage back to him to legitimize their reign. For centuries, popes sought the protection of the Carolingian rulers. Even as his empire splintered, each nation traced their origins back to Charlemagne, truly making him the “Father of Europe”.
Pictures from History, Getty Images
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