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Biographical:Profile on Charlemagne
Charlemagne or Charles the great was declared the roman emperor by the pope at the age of 29. Charlemagne was born in the late 740's near Liege in modern day Belgium and is the son of King Pepin. Charlemagne had 18 children and was married to 5 different women. Charlemagne was a devoted father and encouraged his childrens education. He began ruling in 768. Charlemagne studied many subjects, but one of his personal favorites was astronomy. He also studied many languages including German and Latin. He knew how to read, but he had many difficulties with writing. Charlemagne was one of the only Frankish rulers to have an interest in education. During Charlemagne’s reign, many schools opened throughout the empire and many people were became well educated. The children of government officials were taught by Alcuin studied religion, Latin, music, literature, and arithmetic. On top of being into education Charlemagne was interested in sports. He was known to be highly energetic. He enjoyed horseback riding, hunting and swimming. Charlemagne invaded eastern Germany. After defeating the Saxons he ordered them to convert to Christianity. After invading many other areas, his empire had expanded to much of western and central Europe. These conquests earned him the name of Charlemagne. The territories that Charlemagne ruled became known as the Carolingian empire. He also conquered the kingdom of the Lombard’s in northern Italy. He has also conquered Bohemia and the Avars in the middle of the Danube Basin to form a better state for the eastern border of his empire.
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At one time Charlemagne started a rebellion against Pope Leo III. Charlemagne chose to go to his aid in Rome. Once he talked to his aid the rebellion ended. Next, he set up courts throughout the empire. Nobles called counts ran them. Inspectors called “The lords messengers” were sent out to make sure that the counts were fulfilling their duties. Charlemagne also introduced administrative reforms throughout the lands he controlled,establishing key representatives in each region. He persuaded many eminent scholars to come to his court and established a new library of Christian and classical works. Charlemagne died in 814. He was buried at the cathedral in Aachen. In the following decades his empire was divided up among his heirs and by the late 800's it had dissolved. Nevertheless, Charlemagne became a legendary figure endowed with mythical qualities. |