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Accomplishments of Charlemagne
Charlemagne was a significant figure in the history of the Holy Roman Empire. Popularly known as Charles the great, he was born on April 2, 742 in Northern Europe. In 771, he became the sole ruler of the Frankish Empire after Carloman died. It was a coastal strip from southwest France up through the Netherlands into Northern Germany. It was at this time that the Franks were in a period of general disorder evidenced by the falling back of the Franks into barbarian ways in addition to neglecting their education and religion. He was an imposing physical presence with extraordinary courage and physical strength coupled with an iron will. As a figure of history, he accomplished a lot in restoring order and sanity in the land. He was one of the most important figures in the history of early Medieval Europe due to the number of accomplishments during his reign.
Military Revival
Following the death of Pepin in 768 Ad, the kingdom was divided between Charles the Great and his young brother. Consequently, after the death of his brother, he became the sole ruler of the Frankish Kingdom and he was determined to expand the kingdom in all directions. By word and the cross, he became the undisputed ruler of Eastern Europe. For three decades, his reign was dominated by military campaigns which were prompted by the need to defend his people against external forces and internal forces which threatened to break his kingdom apart. The most demanding military undertaking was against the Saxons who were longtime enemies of the Franks. It was a conquest which covered decades. The war resulted in mass killings and deportation of the rebellious Saxons which eventually lead to their submission. In addition to the Saxon wars, he initiated other wars with the sole aim of reaffirming his authority. These campaigns were aimed at incorporating the Lombard kingdom into the Frankish realm (Morrissey).
Concerned with defending the territory against Muslim invasion, he invaded Spain in 778. However, the Frankish was defeated since the venture was ill-advised due to the promises of help from local Muslim leaders in Spain who had different motives. Irrespective of the defeat, he went on to win over Bavaria by annexing them. The victory brought with it other military campaigns which included facing the Avars who were Asiatic nomads. Successive campaigns disintegrated the empire bringing good fortunes to Charlemagne in the process. He captures the territory south of Danube in Carinthia and Pannonia. Additionally, it led to the conversion of the Avars to Christianity. By combining effective military prowess and grasp of the political divides of the time, he elevated the status of the Frankish Kingdom throughout Europe. On matters relating governance, he believed that governance was solely for the benefit of the citizens. He was merely serving his people. He was a reformer who had the thoughts of his people at his heart (Kershaw).
Religious Revival and Reform
Charlemagne’s military campaigns brought with them good fortunes. He envisioned a time where a unified administration would be achieved in his territory. Diplomacy efforts were the order of the day during his reign. He had a religious policy that was a clear reflection of his capacity to respond to forces of change that were at work in the world. He intensified the reform programs that were instituted by his father, Pippin and his uncle, Carloman. As a matter of public concern, he aimed to deepen the spiritual life of the people by making it a prime goal of his governance. He focused on strengthening the hierarchy structure of the church by cleansing the clergy to reinforce the tenets of the faith and moral improvement. Additionally, he aimed at completely removing Paganism from the land. As the reforms progressed, he aimed to institute programs that would discipline the clerics and assert control over their properties thus defining the doctrine in the orthodox. As a result, he stamped his authority on matters relating to the church. He won over the support of the Papacy by claiming his ecclesiastical establishment over the body. His good relations with the Papacy ensured he received valuable support for his religious policies and implementation without conflicts of purpose.
The religious policy instituted by king ensured he had complete control over the appointment of the Bishops and Abbots. Consequently, he was the guarantor of the Papal States. His major achievement in as far as religion was concerned was strengthening the ecclesiastical structures in addition to deepening the piety. King Charlemagne ensured that the morals of his Christian subjects were corrected. In appreciation of his religious reforms, he received the glorification of the king as the rector of “New Israel.” Due to his advocacy of Christianity, he enjoyed the role of protecting the Christian establishment in Jerusalem in addition to being the ruler of the kingdom of Christians of Asturias. He also aimed to expand Christianity by bringing to the fold new followers. It was evidenced when he forced the conquered Saxons to convert to Christianity (Story).
Cultural Reforms
Charles the Great had a perfect understanding of his religious and political reforms as they were unfolding in the Christian West. He and his administration were at the forefront of coming up with policies and activities that would bring about a cultural renaissance. The circle of educated men reinforced the effects of the program by giving the programs shape and perspective. He ordered a series of orders that were geared towards s=defining the objectives of the cultural policy. The main aim of the policy was to ensure a continuous improvement of the literacy as it pertained understanding and discharging the responsibilities and duties of the administrators. To achieve the policy, the educators with the direction of the king sought to expand the education system in addition to producing books and publications. The books and publications were to touch on the Christian Latin culture in general. Educators in the land produced many books with the help of the courts in producing books that had a deeper exploration of Latin and Christianity in general. A new writing system was devised to make reading and writing easier. Many works including works of poetry, historiography, biblical exegesis, theological tracts, and epistles were composed for the purpose of exemplifying intellectual activity and linguistic expertise. People were proud of the activity making them boast of a ‘New Athens’ in the empire.
Cultural change was realized after some time as evidenced by the imitation of the cultural models that were provided by the court circle. This was a sign of renewal. Charlemagne ensured that the Bishops revitalized the existing Episcopal and monastic schools in addition to founding new ones. Measures were taken to drive the intake of new students into the schools with the aim of expanding the culture of the people. The school head went beyond teaching to developing and compiling textbooks for learning in the traditional liberal arts category. Publications increased dramatically. Results of the cultural learning program were realized in his life and beyond where there was improved competence in Latin as evidenced by the written documents (Godman).
Despite being responsible for the death of many people, he still deserves the title of the “great.” As an effective military leader, innovative administrator and a promoter of the culture of the land through learning he succeeded in many arenas. As a result, he significantly succeeded as the apolitical figure by being at the forefront of diplomacy. He stood above his adversaries and contemporaries in creating the empire which was an admiration of many. Despite the empire not lasting, he changed the face of Europe in striking ways. The effects are still felt to this day. He treated the empire as his personal property regarding the way he divided his realm equally among his sons. He was a man who went his way given the way he approached issues in the public limelight and his own life. He was a conqueror since he expanded and consolidated the Frankish nation through force and military prowess. He gained the respect of his nobility and his impressive victories over his neighbors. He succeeded in acquiring more territory as compared to other European monarchs of his time. He was keen on maintaining his authority over his delegates. He left a reputation of an effective leader in the world whose impacts are felt to this day.
Works Cited
Godman, Peter. Poets and emperors: Frankish politics and Carolingian poetry. Oxford University Press, USA, 1987.
Kershaw, Paul. Peaceful kings: Peace, power and the early medieval political imagination. OUP Oxford, 2011.
Morrissey, Robert John. Charlemagne & France: a thousand years of mythology. Univ of Notre Dame Pr, 2003.
Story, Joanna, ed. Charlemagne: empire and society. Manchester University Press, 2005.
