Charlemagne
(Karl der Große)
Charlemagne
was born on 2. April 742, probably in Gauting.
In 768 he became King of the Francs and took over the Frankconian
Empire after the death of his father Pippin III, at first together with his
younger brother Karlmann who died in 771. In 774 Charlemagne
took over the empire of the Langobards and in 769
he enlarged the Franconian Empire in the Southwest
through the subjugation of Aquitania and the enlargement
of the Spanish Mark.
Tassilo III, who was instated as duke of Bavaria by Pippin in 748,
had to return the dukedom of Bavaria, and therefore Passau too, after a failed
rebellion in 787. It was subsequently returned to him as a fiefdom. The attempt
to form an alliance with the Awaren and the papacy’s
policy in favour of Franconia led to the deposition
of Tassilo in 788 which resulted in the coalition
of Bavaria and Franconia. The duke’s property,
among which probably also the monastery Niedernburg
in Passau, became property
of the Franconian Empire. Around the year 790 Charlemagne
passed Passau with his troops
intending to enlarge the Bavarian territory in the Southeast through the destruction
of the empire of the Awaren and to protect the Franconian
empire to the East.
The position
of Charlemagne who politically unified the greatest part of the Occident was
expressed in his appointment to emperor which took place in Rome on 25 of December
800. Since 800 his full title was: Karolus serenissimus augustus a Deo coronatus magnus
pacificus imperator Romanum
imperium gubernans qui et
per misericordiam dei rex
Francorum atque Langobardorum (freely translated: greatest and grand highness,
crowned by God, peace keeping ruler, governing the Roman Empire, by grace of
god king of Francs and Langobards). His contemporaries
associated the empire with the idea of one unified Christian realm whose ruler
governed as representative of God. Charlemagne strove towards unification, order
and renewal of the administration of the empire, jurisdiction, coinage and army
and also culture. The centre of this reform was the court which was almost always
in Aachen and where Charlemagne gathered
the most important scholars of his time. Charlemagne’s efforts led also to a
modernisation of the clerical life and to the so-called Carolingian Renaissance.
Charlemagne,
who was named “the Great” by his contemporaries, later became a symbol for a
great founder of empires and ruler. Charlemagne died on 28 of January 814 in
Aachen and was entombed in the inside
courtyard of the Marienkirche. At the instigation
of emperor Friedrich Barbarossa Charlemagne was sainted
by the archbishop of Cologne and upon approval
by (contra)pope Paschalis III in 1165. The sanctification
was refused by Pope Alexander III. so that his commemoration
day has never been approved officially. Admittedly, since 1176 the adoration
has been tolerated by the Catholic church.
edited by: Gerhard Geiger
translated by: Patrizia Müller
(17.8.2004/13.5.2005)
