Why is Charlemagne called the 'Father of Europe'?

The territory of modern France, which was the center of Charlemagne's kingdom, had a long history before the early Middle Ages.

The period which saw the most dramatic changes occurred when the general Roman, Julius Caesar, invaded and conquered the Celtic tribes in the region during the Gallic Wars (58-50 BCE).

This effectively brought the region known as Gaul under Roman control. As a result, it was integrated into the Roman Empire, and its people gradually adopted Roman customs, law, and even the Latin language.

However, as the Western Roman Empire began to decline 500 years later, in the 5th century CE, various Germanic tribes, including the Visigoths, Burgundians, and Franks, migrated west into Gaul.

As a consequence, the region became a patchwork of Roman and Germanic territories, which no longer had a central government.

Instead, each of the separate kingdoms had their own chiefs and rulers, who were frequently at war with the other kingdoms nearby.

Among these competing Germanic tribes, the group known as the Franks became a dominant military force.

They had initially settled in the Lower and Middle Rhine regions of Germania, but soon began to expand into Gaul.

The Merovingian Dynasty was a Frankish royal family that ruled large parts of modern-day France, Germany, and surrounding areas from the 5th to the 8th centuries.

Founded by the semi-legendary figure of Merovech, from whom the dynasty takes its name, the Merovingians came to prominence under his son, Childeric I, and particularly his grandson, Clovis I, who converted to Christianity around 496.

In fact, Clovis's conversion to Catholicism played a crucial role in aligning the Franks with the Papacy in Rome.

Under the Merovingians, the Frankish kingdom expanded further westward into Gaul.

However, the dynasty became known for its complex politics, which was often plagued by internal strife and even assassinations.

By the 7th century, the Merovingian kings had gradually lost much of their actual power to their 'mayors of the palace'.

This was a powerful position within their own government and was held by people who were the chief officials of the royal household.

As a result, the kings themselves became largely figureheads, while the mayors wielded real political and military power.

The most famous of these Mayers of the Palace, was known as Charles Martel. He came from the region of Austrasia, in the northeast of the Frankish kingdom.

Born around 688, Charles Martel became a skilled military leader and statesman.

His most famous victory came at the Battle of Tours in 732, where he halted the advance of the Umayyad Caliphate into Western Europe: a triumph that earned him the nickname 'Martel', meaning 'the Hammer'.

Charles Martel's domination over the Franks would lay the groundwork for a new dynasty, known as the Carolingians.

However, it would be his son, Pepin the Short, that would officially end the Merovingian Dynasty when he was anointed king in 751, which began the Carolingian era.

Pepin the Short was the father of the man who would become known as Charlemagne, who was simply called Charles when he was born in April 747 CE.

He was either in the city of Aachen or Liège, to Pepin's wife Bertrada of Laon.

The sources for his life do not provide a lot of detail about his childhood, but it is assumed that his education was typical of the nobility of the time.

He would certainly have been trained in martial skills and Christian piety, but it's widely believed that he never learned to write: a fact that did not hinder his later administrative reforms.

When he was old enough, the young Charles would have accompanied his father on military campaigns, where he could gain experience and insight into the art of war.

Upon the death of his father, Pepin the Short, in 768, the 20-year-old Chales and his younger brother, Carloman, were assigned to co-rule the Frankish kingdom together.

To make this work, the two brothers divided the lands between them: with Charlemagne ruling Austrasia and Carloman ruling Burgundy, Provence, Aquitaine, and Alamannia.

In fact, they had separate coronations. Charlemagne was crowned at Noyon and Carloman at Soissons on October 9, 768.

This division, however, soon led to tensions. They disagreed on how to handle a rebellion in Aquitaine. Charlemagne favored military action while Carloman refused to participate

To avert a potential civil war between the two halves of the kingdom, their mother Bertrada attempted to mediate between them.

However, the joint rule lasted only about three years, as Carloman died suddenly on December 4, 771.

There were even rumors that Charles had been involved somehow. Regardless, with his brother gone, Charlemagne moved swiftly to consolidate his power.

He married the Lombard princess Desiderata to forge an alliance with the powerful Lombard kingdom in Italy.

However, he later repudiated the marriage, which led to direct conflict between the Franks and the Lombards.

Charlemagne then invaded Lombardy in 773. He was able to capture their capital city of Pavia in 774 and force the Lombard king to submit to him.

This added the valuable lands of northern Italy to his domains.

However, this was not the only military campaign Charlemagne undertook in the early years of his reign.

He had also been waging a protracted war against the Saxons, a Germanic tribe to the northeast, beginning in 772.

These Saxon Wars, as they were called, would continue until 804. With each passing year, the fighting became more brutal as Charlemagne struggled to effectively subjugate his enemies. 

He claimed to be converting the Saxons to Christianity. If they refused to do so by peaceful means, he would use war to achieve his ends.

The fierce resistance from the Saxons infuriated Charlemagne, which led to forced conversions and a number of mass executions.

Ultimately, after three decades of fighting, Saxony was finally incorporated into the Carolingian Empire.

His expansionist policies also extended to the south, where he subdued the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula in 778.

In a famously source, known as The Song of Roland, Charlemagne's conquest is described as being successful. However, in reality, it ended in a difficult retreat through the Pyrenees by the Frankish forces.

In the east, he added Bavaria and parts of modern-day Austria and Hungary to his realm.

The most important conflict was the war with the Avars, a nomadic group that had threatened both the Byzantine Empire and his own territories.

His victories over the Avars in the late 790s added vast lands to his dominion and secured his eastern frontier.

These conquests were both blatant land grabs, but also part of Charlemagne's vision of a unified Christian Europe under his rule.

Charlemagne believed that he had to maintain a formidable military presence to ensure peace in his kingdom.

As a result, he often personally led his troops in battle, and created a standing army that was stationed in various fortifications across his lands.

But Charlemagne's rise was not solely the result of military conquests. He was also a shrewd diplomat who frequently forged alliances with neighboring powers.

His most important alliance was the one he formed with the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope, in Rome.

In particular, he developed a strong relationship with Pope Leo III, whom he had even sent troops to protect against his enemies in Rome.

As a sign of thanks for the aid, the Leo invited Charlemagne to Rome where he crowned Charlemagne as the Emperor of the Romans on Christmas Day in 800.

This would become a seminal moment in European history. This title was entirely new, and it would be seen as many as the fusion of Roman, Christian, and Germanic elements into a new European order, with Charlemagne at its head.

Charlemagne's bloody military campaigns paint him as a ruthless warlord.

However, he also focused much of his time on significant administrative reforms of his growing empire.

Firstly, he divided his vast lands into counties, each governed by a count who was responsible for justice, defense, and taxation in their region.

Also, to ensure the loyalty of his appointees and prevent corruption, he established a system of royal officials known as missi dominici, who regularly oversaw the local administration by the counts and reported directly back to the emperor.

Next, Charlemagne wanted an overall cultural revival, primarily to improve scholarship and learning among his subjects.

This would become known as the Carolingian Renaissance. To achieve this, he invited scholars, artists, and theologians to his court, and offered to pay them for the honor.

Many accepted the offer, including the famous Alcuin of York, and travelled to Charlemagne's capital city of Aachen.

As a result, there was a revival of classical learning and literacy in the Frankish kingdom.

It even led to the creation of the Carolingian minuscule, a standardized written script, which facilitated the better copying of ancient texts and the spread of knowledge throughout the empire.

He also implemented policies to regulate currency, standardizing weights and measures to facilitate trade.

Royal mints were established to produce a uniform coinage, which was designed to strengthen royal control over the monetary system.

However, not everyone was happy with the dramatic changes that Charlemagne was forcing upon them.

His vast territories were often threatened by external enemies, including the Vikings, Moors, and Avars.

While he maintained a vigorous defense of his borders, internally, he faced continued revolts and conspiracies.

There was also on that was orchestrated by his own son, which Charlemagne managed to suppress with a combination of brute force and diplomacy.

In addition, Charlemagne's relationship with the Church became more challenging.

While he sought to strengthen Christianity throughout his empire, he also wanted full control over ecclesiastical affairs in the lands he owned.

He appointed bishops and abbots, and even influenced church doctrine. These were all areas where the pope traditionally had control.

Charlemagne had event called a church council at Frankfurt in 794, where he addressed issues within the church.

At its culmination, Charlemagne rejected the Second Council of Nicaea's decrees on the veneration of icons.

Much of what we know about Charlemagne was recorded by his official court biographer, Einhard.

According to his writings, Charlemagne was famous for his imposing physical presence and charisma.

Apparently, the king was tall and imposing figure who carried himself with an air of unquestioned authority.

Also, he was an avid hunter and horseman, and despite his royal status, often chose to dress simply, rather than in the expensive clothes of royalty.

Einhard also said that he was intellectually curios and, although he never fully mastered writing, he was able to understand some Latin and Greek.

This may explain why he surrounded himself with scholars and took an active interest in subjects ranging from astronomy to theology.

Charlemagne's family life was deeply complex. He married several times and had numerous children, both legitimate and illegitimate.

Unfortunately, his relationships with his wives and children were often intertwined with political alliances and succession planning.

Despite this, there are accounts of his genuine affection for his family and his grief at the loss of children.

Perhaps it was Charlemagne's religious faith that was the most defining aspect of his character.

He saw himself as a Christian king with a divine mandate to rule and spread the faith.

His devotion was reflected in his daily practice of prayer, his attendance at Mass, and his efforts to reform the Church.

However, Charlemagne's forceful conversion of the Saxons and his sometimes ruthless approach to ruling reveals a man who was willing to use harsh means to achieve his spiritual ends.

Charlemagne's death on January 28, 814, was the end of an era that had seen the unification and transformation of much of Western Europe.

In his later years, Charlemagne faced health problems, including fevers and arthritis, which increasingly limited his activities.

As a result, he spent his final months in Aachen, his favored residence, where he was engaged in religious devotion and the running of his empire.

His death, believed to have been caused by pleurisy, was quickly reported right across Europe.

Charlemagne's succession had been a matter of concern and planning throughout his reign.

He had several sons, but only one, Louis the Pious, survived him. In preparation for the transition of power, Charlemagne had crowned Louis as co-emperor in 813.

So, upon Charlemagne's death, Louis became the sole ruler of the Carolingian Empire.

Louis the Pious's reign, however, was full of factional in-fighting. His attempts to divide the empire among his sons led to open conflicts and a series of civil wars that ultimately weakened the Carolingian dynasty.

At the Treaty of Verdun in 843, the remains of Charlemagne's empire were divided among his three grandsons, which led to the formation of the distinct territories that would become modern-day France, Germany, and Italy.

The unity and strength that Charlemagne had worked so hard to create was gone.

Charlemagne's achievements proved difficult to sustain by personalities that lacked his authority.

Despite this, Charlemagne’s time in power laid the groundwork for the development of feudalism in Europe.

His grants of land to loyal nobles in exchange for military service became a model for later medieval societies.

Also, the ideals of unity and Christian kingship that he had championed would be mimicked by countless European monarchs for the next 1000 years.

After his death, Charlemagne was buried in Aachen Cathedral, and his tomb became a place of veneration.

Charlemagne was later canonized in 1165 by Antipope Paschal III, but this decision was not officially recognized by the Catholic Church.