Biography
Biography
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Charlemagne (Charles the Great, King of the Franks)

 Born742   Born At
 Died814  Buried At
 Born742 / 
 Died814 / 
harlemagne was born in 742 or 747. He was the son of Pepin the Short, ruler of the Franks, who died in 768. When Pepin died tradition was followed and the lands he had controlled were divided between his sons Charlemagne and Carloman. Conflicts between the two brothers were serious but the conflicts came to and end in 771 when Carloman died and his lands passed into Charlemagne's possession. In 773 Pope Adrian I called on Charlemagne's help because the king of Lombardy was threatening Rome. Charlemagne invaded Italy and removed King Desiderius from the Lombardy throne, taking it for himself. In 800 Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Emperor of the huge empire covering what today is the area of France, Italy and parts of Germany.

 

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 Charlemagne (Charles the Great, King of the Franks) (b.742 - d.814)
 Charlemagne (Charles the Great, King of the Franks) (b.742 - d.814)

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Timeline

768(Age: 26yrs)

After the death of his father, Pepin the Short, Charlemagne was given the title King of the Franks at Noyon. He jointly held the position with his brother Carloman who was crowned on the same day. [1]

771(Age: 29yrs)

Charlemange and his brother Carloman had ruled jointly over the Frankish kingdom since the death of their father. When Carloman died in 771, Charelmagne took control of the whole kingdom.

773(Age: 31yrs)

Conflicts between Charlemagne and Desiderius, the King of Lombard, led to King of the Franks invading Italy in 773. Charlemagne was supposed to have married the daughter of Desiderius but had sent her back to her father. In a conflict between Desiderius and Pope Adrian I, Charlemagne came in on the side of the Pope. A siege of Pavia, the capital of Lombard, started in the autumn of 773 and lasted until the summer of 774. Desiderius surrendered the city to save those inside and he was exiled. Charlemagne mounted the Lombard throne.

800(Age: 58yrs)

Charlemagne was acclaimed as Roman Emperor in St Peter's in Rome by Pope Leo III.

801(Age: 59yrs)

Charlemagne's son Louis captured the city of Barcelona. [2]

814(Age: 72yrs)

Charlemagne died due to an illness after living into his early seventies. He was buried in the basilica that he had built in Aachen. Charlemagne was succeeded by Louis the Pious who was his only surviving legitimate son. [1]

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Selection of references used:

  • 1: C.H.Frith, Cromwell, 1935, Mackays Limited Chatham (1935)
  • 2: Richard Cavendish, Kings and Queens The Concise Guide, ISBN:978-0-7153-2376-2

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