Charlemagne (Einhard Critical Analysis)

Aelijah Wilson

Professor DePinto

HIS 213

Charlemagne: A Father of Europe

The tales of Charlemagne, or Charles I, tell us a story of a masculine, magnanimous figure who’s bravery and prowess led him to be one of the most profound rulers in world history. Einhard, an intensely loyal follower of Charlemagne, chronicled his life in a short biography. Throughout Charlemagne’s life, laid out for us by Einhard, we see examples of his vigor by his tenacity in war and his ability to expand his empires borders. We also see from Einhard and other texts, that he had an intellectual and religious prowess unmatched by any of his predecessors. Charlemagne’s ability to take his need for war and expansion, and mix it with his fondness for intelligence and religion, helped him become as close to a Roman Emperor as one could get. Also by conducting his intellectual and religious renaissance, and by expanding his borders, one can say he was one of the father of what would be Europe.

To gain insight into Charlemagne’s reign and ascension to Charles the Great, we must first look at how he came to rule over the Frankish kingdom. Before the onset of the Carolingian line of rulers, the Merovingian’s ruled over the Frankish Kingdom. The Merovingians were powerful rulers dating back to Clovis, but over the years through divided succession the Merovingian rulers were less of an authoritative figure and more of a figurehead. During the end of the Merovingian dynasty, the real power lied with the Mayor of the Palace. The Merovingian rulers, according to Einhard, “…had nothing that he could call his own beyond this vain title of King…” The title of Mayor of the Palace was one passed down from Carolingian to Carolingian, hereditarily. It started with Pepin of Heristal, father of Charles Martel, who handed it down to Charles Martel, who then handed it to Pepin the Short, who was Charlemagne’s father. Throughout this succession the title of Mayor of the Palace gained great power, and with...