Charlemagne Emperor of the West

     Charlemagne Emperor of the West was born on 2 April 747 in Aachen, Rhineland, Germany.^1,2,3,4 He was the son of Pépin "the Short" King of the Franks and Bertha "Broadfoot".^1,2,3,4,5 More is known about Charlemagne than most mediæval rulers because of a biography written by Einhard, a friend of his son Louis the Pious. This biography describes Charlemagne as more than six feet tall, with piercing eyes, fair hair, a thick neck, and a potbelly. He was strong, fond of exercise, and had an alert mind and a forceful personality. Charlemagne could read and speak Latin, the language of educated people of the time. However, he never learned to write it.⁵ Charlemagne Emperor of the West was crowned King of France in 767.^1,2 When Pépin the Short died in 768, the Frankish lands were divided according to ancient Frankinsh law and tradition between Pépin's sons Carloman and Charles. During the next three years until Carloman's death in 771, relations between the two brothers were sometimes strained. In 774, Charles "the Great" or Karolus Magnus, more widely known as Charlemagne, conquered Lombardy and confirmed his father's donation of the Papal States. Charlemagne added Bavaria to his realm, and eventually defeated the Saxons and forced them to convert to Christianity. Charlemagne also waged war in Spain. He was returning from an expedition there in 778 when a mountain people called the Basques ambushed and wiped out his rear guard. This incident became the subject of the famous epic poem The Song of Roland, however, the ambushers were the Moors.⁵ In 768 Charlemagne married Himiltude.⁵ In 770 Charlemagne married Desideria.⁵ The marriage of Charlemagne and Desideria was annulled in 771.⁵ In 771 in Aachen, Rhineland, Germany, Charlemagne married Hildegarde Countess in Linzgau, daughter of Gerold Count in the Vinzgau and Emma of Allemania.^1,2,3,5 In 783 Charlemagne married Fastrada.⁵ In 794 Charlemagne married Luitgard.⁵ Charlemagne Emperor of the West was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III in 25 December 800 at Rome.^1,2,5 He died on Tuesday, 28 January 814 in Aachen, Rhineland, Germany, at age 66 years, 9 months and 26 days.^1,2,3,4