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| Charlemagne. Карл I (Великиий, король франков)Charlemagne. Карл I (Великиий, король франков)World History I HST 218 – 102 Charlemagne. By: Vlad Exxxx Instructor: Mr. James Krokar DePaul University November 18, 2002 The happiness and prosperity of the citizens is the only legitimate object of government. - Thomas Jefferson Sometimes one great man is all it takes to change the course of
history around for a nation, a civilization, or even the entire world. Charlemagne was born into the family of the Mayor of the Palace in the court of King Childeric. Despite the lack of royal ancestry, Charles’ father, Pepin was the true ruler of the Franks until the eventual deposition of impotent Childeric, at which time Pepin was named the official monarch. Upon Pepin’s demise, the state, which Pepin had gloriously expanded, was passed on to Charles and his brother Carloman who ruled jointly for some three years, and after Carloman’s death, Charles became the King of the Franks (Einhard 27). The reign of Charlemagne was a most glorious one. During his forty-
five years in power, Charles distinguished himself as a successful
conqueror, an imposing sovereign, an able diplomat, and an active advocate
of learning. His conquests doubled the empire he inherited, his masterful
diplomacy helped him establish strategic alliances with neighbors, and his
appreciation for knowledge and scholarship sparked a “Carolingian For the purpose of determining the medieval Franks’ view of an ideal ruler, Einhard’s positively biased biography of Charlemagne is the best source for information. As pointed out in Sidney Painter’s foreword to the book, Einhard slants the focus toward the positive aspects, while “passing over delicately details he considered embarrassing” (Painter 11). As a result of such omission of most of the unfavorable biographical facts, the somewhat idealized view of Charlemagne becomes a model of a “perfect King” as envisioned by the people of his time. Perhaps the skill most highly valued by Einhard as well as by the
people of the turbulent Middle Ages was the ability to conduct victorious
warfare. After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, the nations that came to
inherit the land were engaged in frequent wars, trying to conquer lands in
order to collect tribute. Clearly, in times like those it was necessary for
a king to be an apt military commander because the welfare of a nation
almost directly depended upon the territory, and therefore the amount of
arable land and natural resources. Einhard dedicates a large portion of the
biography to the history of Charlemagne’s conquests. He mentions Charles’
charisma and outstanding leadership skills. If one were to closely examine
the record of the most famous or most notorious kings in the history of
mankind, the top of the list would be dominated by the warrior kings: There was nothing left the King to do but to be content with his name of King, his flowing hair, and long beard, to sit on the throne and play the ruler, to give ear to the ambassadors that came from all quarters, and to dismiss them, as if on his own responsibility, in words that were, in fact, suggested to him, or even imposed upon him (Einhard 23-24). If anything had caused Einhard to give mention to such a petty figure as King Childeric, it must have been the need for an antithesis to contrast with the marvelous personality of Charlemagne. Fulfilling the duty of a historian would not explain such a motion because in Einhard’s own foreword, he indirectly confesses of creating a somewhat biased picture of his master and benefactor, thereby renouncing the duty and the title of a historian. Einhard undertook a considerable effort to discuss Charlemagne’s
positive personal traits: determination and steadfastness to go through
with all his endeavors; strict adherence to justice and readiness to
counteract any “faithless behavior” with righteous vengeance (Einhard 31).
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