Charlemagn,q 'The Great', King of the Franks, Holy Roman Emperor
742-813
Born: Ingelheim, Rheinhessen, Hesse-Darmstadt
Died: Aix La Chapelle, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany,
742-813
Born: Ingelheim, Rheinhessen, Hesse-Darmstadt
Died: Aix La Chapelle, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany,
<p><strong><span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> </span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Charlemagne</span></font></strong><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"><br></span></font> <span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> </span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">King of the Franks and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, 742 - 814</span></font></p> <p><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Charlemagne</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> </span></font><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">(English: Charles the Great, Dutch: Karel de Grote, German: Karl der Grosse, Latin: Carolus</span></font><span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> </span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Magnus)</span></font><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> was born on April 2, 742 in Northern </span></font><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Europe</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">. Charles was the eldest son of </span></font><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Pippin III</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> and Bertrada of Laon. ‘By the sword and the cross,’ Charlemagne became master of </span></font><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Western Europe</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">.<br><br> In 768, when Charlemagne was 26, he and his younger brother </span></font> <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Carloman</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> inherited the kingdom of the Franks. In 771 Carloman died, and Charlemagne became sole ruler of the kingdom. At that time the Franks were falling back into barbarian ways, neglecting their education and religion. The </span></font><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Saxons</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> of northern Europe were still pagans. In the south, the Roman Catholic Church was asserting its power to recover land confiscated by the Lombard kingdom of </span></font><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Italy</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">. Europe was in turmoil.<br><br> Charlemagne was determined to strengthen his realm and to bring order to Europe. In 772 he launched a 30-year military campaign to accomplish this objective. By 800 Charlemagne was the undisputed ruler of Western Europe. His vast realm encompassed what are now France, Switzerland, Belgium, and The </span></font> <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Netherlands</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">. It included half of present-day Italy and Germany, and parts of Austria and Spain. By establishing a central government over Western Europe, Charlemagne restored much of the unity of the old Roman Empire and paved the way for the development of modern Europe.<br><br> On Christmas Day in 800, while Charlemagne knelt in prayer in Saint Peter’s in </span></font> <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Rome</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">, </span></font><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Pope Leo III</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> placed a golden crown on the bowed head of the king. Charlemagne is said to have been surprised by the coronation, declaring that he would not have come into the church had he known the pope’s plan. However, some historians say the pope would not have dared to act without Charlemagne's knowledge.<br><br> Charlemagne learned to read Latin and some Greek but apparently did not master writing. At meals, instead of having jesters perform, he listened to visiting scholars read from learned works. Charlemagne believed that government should be for the benefit of the governed. He was a reformer who tried to improve his subject’s lives. He set up money standards to encourage commerce and urged better farming methods.</span></font> </p> <p><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> ‘By the sword and the cross,’ Charlemagne became master of Western Europe.</span></font></p><p><strong><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Herstal</span></font></strong><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">, formerly known as Heristal, or Héristal, is a </span></font><span style="color: windowtext"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">municipality</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> of </span></font><span style="color: windowtext"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Belgium</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">. It lies in the country's </span></font><span style="color: windowtext"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Walloon Region</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> and </span></font><span style="color: windowtext"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Province of Liege</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> along the </span></font><span style="color: windowtext"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Meuse river</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">. Herstal is included in the "Greater </span></font><span style="color: windowtext"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Liège</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">" </span></font><span style="color: windowtext"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">agglomeration</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">, which counts about 600,000 inhabitants. The Herstal municipality includes the former communes of </span></font><span style="color: windowtext"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Milmort</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">,</span></font><span style="color: windowtext"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Vottem</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">, and </span></font><span style="color: windowtext"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Liers</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> (partly, the other part being incorporated into </span></font><span style="color: windowtext"><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">Juprelle</span></font></span><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium">).</span></font><font face="georgia, palatino"><span style="font-size: medium"> </span></font></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia"> </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia"> </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia"> </span></p>