On Christmas Day in 800, the Frankish king Charlemagne (742–814) was praying at a church in Rome, peacefully minding his own business. Then, without warning, he was ambushed by the pope, Leo III, who sneaked up on the king, placed a crown on his head, and declared him the new emperor of western Europe.
“[Charlemagne] at first had such an aversion that he declared that he would not have set foot in the church the day that [the title was] conferred, although it was a great feast-day, if he could have foreseen the design of the Pope,” wrote one of his contemporary biographers.
Voluntary or not, the coronation of Charlemagne was a pivotal moment in the history of Europe—indeed, to some historians, the date when Europe as a cultural entity came into existence. Charlemagne built a large empire that included parts of France, Germany, and Italy, establishing a state that would become part of the shared heritage of western Europe.
Charlemagne was the son of Pippin the Short (714–768), the first king of the Franks, a Germanic tribe. After Pippin’s death, Charlemagne ruled jointly with his brother, Carloman (751–771), but became the sole leader after Carloman’s death. The Frankish kingdom that Charlemagne inherited spread over almost all of western Europe north of the Pyrenees Mountains. Early in his reign, Charlemagne pushed its borders eastward into Germany and into Spain and Italy.
By crowning Charlemagne the new emperor of the West, Pope Leo III gained a powerful ally, because the title obligated the emperor to defend Rome and the papacy. Charlemagne—who almost certainly was not surprised by his coronation, contrary to the account in his biography—gained the prestige associated with the ancient Roman title of imperator.
Because he was able to bring so much of western Europe into a single, strong state, Charlemagne’s rule ended the anarchy that had followed the collapse of the old Roman Empire. The stability contributed to a revival of literacy and culture known as the Carolingian Renaissance. The Frankish empire weakened after Charlemagne’s death, however, and it was eventually divided between his grandsons. His title evolved into the office of Holy Roman Emperor, which remained influential in Germany and central Europe until the position was abolished in 1806.
ADDITIONAL FACTS
- The name Charlemagne is a contraction of the emperor’s Latin name, Carolus Magnus—meaning “Charles the Great.”
- Charlemagne’s sword, Joyeuse, was used for centuries in coronation ceremonies for French kings. It is now housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
- Charlemagne was buried in the cathedral at Aachen, which served as the coronation spot for Holy Roman Emperors for centuries. The Charlemagne Prize, an award given to world leaders who contribute to European unity, has been awarded just outside the cathedral in every year since 1949.
