King Charlemagne of the Franks

   Another name for Charlemagne was Charlemagne the Great.

  General Notes:

Charlemagne, or Charles the Great (742-814), grandson of Charles Martel, was probably brought up at the court of his father, Pepin the Short, and on his death became king of the Franks, 768, at first jointly with his brother Carloman. After the latter’s death, 771, he ruled alone. His long reign of forty-six years was occupied in waging war against every race that seemed to threaten the empire. His forces were so overwhelming and so well organized, and his military and political genius so great, that the enemy rarely faced him. Charles crossed the Alps, and was soon master of Italy, the greater part of which he added to his Frankish empire; and in 776, after an unsuccessful revolt by the Lombards, he created Italy a kingdom, which he conferred on his son Pepin in 781, who was crowned king of Italy by the Pope. Meantime Charles had his attention directed to Spain by the troubles among the Saracens, and in 778 he invaded the peninsula with two armies. In 800, on the invitation of Pope Leo III, Charles again proceeded to Italy, and on Christmas Eve was crowned emperor of the Romans; and the foundation of the political system of the Middle Ages was laid. The remaining years of his reign were comparatively quiet. Himself no mean scholar, he welcomed to his court men of learning. Charlemagne was no recluse, but was fond of sport and hunting. He died in 814 at Aix-la-Chapelle, where he was buried. Consult ‘Life’ by Eginhard in Latin, in Bibliotheca Rerum Germanicarum (1873; Eng. trans. by Glaister, 1877); Mombert’s Charles the Great; Mullinger’s The Schools of Charles the Great; Wells’ The Age of Charlemagne; Davis’ Charlemagne, in Heroes of the Nation series. For his governmental institutions, consult Fustel de Coulange’s ‘Le gouvernement de Charlemagne,’ in Revue des Deux Mondes; for the literature of the period, Ampère’s Histoire littéraire de la France sous Charlemagne (2nd ed., 1868); for arts, Schnaase’s Geschichte der bildenden Künste, vol. IV (8 vols.); and for romance, Gaston Paris’ Histoire poétique de Charlemagne. [World Wide Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1935]

Notes on Charlemagne King of the Franks and Roman Emperor
Upon the death of Pepin, the Frankish kingdom was divided according to custom between his two sons. Relations between the brothers were cool, but upon the early death of Carloman in 771, Charles became sole ruler of the Franks and commenced the brilliant reign which made him "Charles the Great". He fought the Saxons in 18 campaigns between 772 and 799. Saxon chiefs were persuaded to be partised and become Charles’ vassals, placing much of Saxony under Frankish control. In 773, at the request of Pope Adrian I, he crossed the Alps and defeated the Lombards in Pavia in 774, capturing Desiderius, the last King of the Lombards, and taking the Lombard crown himself. Between 777 and 801, he conquered Northern Spain despite setbacks such as the battle of Roncesvalles in 778, where the rearguard of the Frankish army under Roland, was destroyed by a combination of Moors and the Christian Basques of Pamplona. In 788, Bavaria was absorbed into his dominions and he established the eastern mark of his empire on the R. Raab in Austria. In 800, he marched into Italy and on Christmas Day 800 he was Crowned by Pope Leo III and saluted as Carolus Augustus, emperor of the Romans. The remaining years of his reign were spent consolidating his empire. {Chamber’s Biographical Dictionary and Encyclopedia of Military History} [GADD.GED]

Holy Roman Emperor 800-814

  Noted events in his life were:

• Alt. Birth, 2 Apr 742, Aachen, Nord-Rhein, Germany. ^{498,759,765,807}

• Alt. Birth, 2 Apr 747. ^17,774

• Title: King of Neustria, 768-771. ⁷⁷³

• Title: King of Aquitaine, 768-771. ⁷⁷³

• Title: King of the Franks, 771-814. ⁷⁷³

• Title: King of Lombardy, 774-781. ⁷⁷³

• Title: Holy Roman Emperor, 800-814. ⁷⁷³ (Charles I)

• Alt. Death, 28 Jan 813, Aix la Chapelle, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. ^17,774

Charlemagne married Himiltrud [Unknown] in 766.⁷⁷³ The marriage ended in divorce in 770.

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Alt. Marriage, 768. ⁸⁰⁸

Charlemagne next married Gerperga of Lombardy, daughter of King Desiderius of Lombardy and Ansa of Lombardy, in 768.⁷⁷³ The marriage ended in divorce in 771.

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Alt. Marriage, 770. ⁸⁰⁸

Charlemagne next married Empress Hildegarde of Swabia, daughter of Duke Gerold I of Swabia, Count of Vinzgau and Duchess Emma of Swabia, about 771 ^759,774.^,804 (Empress Hildegarde of Swabia was born about 757 in Aachen, Rheinland, Prussia,^765,804 died on 30 Apr 783 in Thionville, Austrasia ^{17,759,765,774,809} and was buried in Abbaye de St. Arnoul, Metz, Moselle, France.)

Charlemagne next married Lady Fastrada of Franconia in Oct 783 ⁷⁷⁴.^,805 (Lady Fastrada of Franconia died on 10 Aug 794 ^774,805.)

Charlemagne next married Liutgard of Alamannia in 795.⁸⁰⁵ (Liutgard of Alamannia died on 4 Jun 800 ⁸⁰⁵.)

Charlemagne also had a relationship with Gerswind of Saxony.⁸⁰⁵

Charlemagne next married Regina [Unknown].⁸⁰⁵

Charlemagne also had a relationship with Adelinde [Unknown].⁸⁰⁶

Charlemagne also had a relationship with Madelgard [Unknown].⁸⁰⁶

Charlemagne also had a relationship with Sigrada [Unknown].⁸⁰⁶