His health was excellent, except for the four years before he died, when he frequently suffered from fevers, and limped a little. His meals usually consisted of four courses — not counting the roast, which his huntsmen would bring in on the spit. A wealthy, powerful and mysterious order ...read more, People use the phrase “Middle Ages” to describe Europe between the fall of Rome in 476 CE and the beginning of the Renaissance in the 14th century. Einhard evidently was a talented builder and construction manager, because Charlemagne put him in charge of the completion of several palace complexes including Aachen and … Charlemagne’s children were shown the utmost affection from their father. LibriVox recording of The Life of Charlemagne by Thomas Hodgkin. In his personal life, Charlemagne had multiple wives and mistresses and perhaps as many as 18 children. He had the columns and marbles brought from Rome and Ravenna, as he could not find suitable ones anywhere else. While he was dressing and putting on his shoes, he not only gave audience to his friends, but if the Count of the Palace told him of a case requiring his judgment, he had them come to his room right then, and judged the case just as if he were at his court and pronounced judgment. He never allowed their faithless behavior to go unpunished, either fighting them in person or sending his counts’ armies to get vengeance and righteous satisfaction. But he also started also many public works to adorn and benefit his kingdom, and brought several of them to completion. Before Charlemagne's time, Charles Martel and Peppin the Short had been working hard … In addition to learning, Charlemagne was interested in athletic pursuits. Louis became sole emperor when Charlemagne died in January 814, ending his reign of more than four decades. They did not consider it dishonorable to violate any law, human or divine. This is why he strove to make friends with foreign kings, so that he could give relief to the Christians living under their rule. He also fitted out a naval fleet to protect Gaul and Germany from the Vikings, and Italy from the Moors. Einhard's 'The Life of Charlemagne: Vita Karoli Magni' is one of the most famous pieces of literature on the early Middle Ages. Charlemagne waged a bloody, three-decades-long series of battles against the Saxons, a Germanic tribe of pagan worshippers, and earned a reputation for ruthlessness. The Pope crowned him Roman Emperor in 800, centuries after the ancient Roman Empire had collapsed in Europe — a move which infuriated the Eastern Emperor who still claimed to rule both east and west. He appointed Louis, with their unanimous consent, to rule with himself over the whole kingdom and made him heir to the imperial title. King Charlemagne, as I have showed, greatly extended his empire and powerfully subdued foreign nations, and was constantly occupied with such plans. In order to carry out this mission, he spent the majority of his reign engaged in military campaigns. (Image: Talbot Master/British Library) Charlemagne’s Reign Through frequent embassies and letters, in which he addressed them as brothers, he made their haughtiness give way to his magnanimity, a quality in which he was unquestionably much their superior. He would wake and get up from bed four or five times during the night. The numbered sections below correspond to selected sections in Einhard’s life of Charlemagne.]. According to Einhard, Charlemagne was in good health until the final four years of his life, when he often suffered from fevers and acquired a limp. No student of Frankish history can ever forget the tragic figure of that queen or her life-long duel with her ignoble and treacherous sister-in-law Fredegundis. Christian History Institute. He increased the Frank kingdom so much — though it was already great and strong when he received it at his father — that more than double its former territory was added to it. He was a master of Latin, but he could understand Greek better than he could speak it. On the other, we wonder would the church have survived if not for him? A skilled military strategist, he spent much of his reign engaged in warfare in order to accomplish his goals. The greatest were the Church of the Holy Mother of God at Aix-la-Chapelle, a most impressive building, and a bridge over the Rhine at Mayence, though this bridge was destroyed by fire the year before Charles died, and since he died so soon afterwards, it could not be repaired, although he had intended to rebuild it in stone. This was a linen shirt and pants as underwear, covered with a silk-fringed tunic, and trousers tied with bands, shoes on his feet, and in winter an otter skin coat over his shoulders. 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