The Old High German Tatian is a translation of Tatian 's Diatessaron from Syriac to Old High German. The translation was created in the Abbey of Fulda under Rabanus Maurus ' supervision around the year 830 and has been located at the Abbey of Saint Gall since the 10th century, where it is classified as the Codex Sangallensis 56 .
104-600: The Old High German Tatian is one of the most significant translations created during Charlemagne 's reign, next to the Old High German Isidor . It contains the text in both Latin and Old High German . During its creation, the Diatessaron, a gospel harmony written around 170 AD, was combined with a transcript of the Codex Fuldensis (Codex Bonifatianus I), turning it into a bilingual . Though
208-484: A bride for his son. Charlemagne refused the arrangement, and the marriage did not take place. Charlemagne and Offa entered into a formal peace in 796, protecting trade and securing the rights of English pilgrims to pass through Francia on their way to Rome. Charlemagne was also the host and protector of several deposed English rulers who were later restored: Eadbehrt of Kent , Ecgberht, King of Wessex , and Eardwulf of Northumbria . Nelson writes that Charlemagne treated
312-411: A copy of the agreement between Pepin and Stephen III outlining the papal lands and rights Pepin had agreed to protect and restore. It is unclear which lands and rights the agreement involved, which remained a point of dispute for centuries. Charlemagne placed a copy of the agreement in the chapel above St. Peter's tomb as a symbol of his commitment, and left Rome to continue the siege. Disease struck
416-482: A distinctly-Frankish context. Charlemagne's coronation led to a centuries-long ideological conflict between his successors and Constantinople known as the problem of two emperors , which could be seen as a rejection or usurpation of the Byzantine emperors' claim to be the universal, preeminent rulers of Christendom. Historian James Muldoon writes that Charlemagne may have had a more limited view of his role, seeing
520-493: A famine in Francia. Hildegard gave birth to another daughter, Bertha . Charlemagne returned to Saxony in 780, holding assemblies at which he received hostages from Saxon nobles and oversaw their baptism. He and Hildegard traveled with their four younger children to Rome in the spring of 781, leaving Pepin and Charles at Worms , to make a journey first requested by Adrian in 775. Adrian baptised Carloman and renamed him Pepin,
624-592: A legitimate marriage, but he had a vested interest in preventing Charlemagne from marrying Desiderius's daughter. Carloman died suddenly on 4 December 771, leaving Charlemagne sole king of the Franks. He moved immediately to secure his hold on his brother's territory, forcing Carloman's widow Gerberga to flee to Desiderius's court in Lombardy with their children. Charlemagne ended his marriage to Desiderius's daughter and married Hildegard , daughter of count Gerold ,
728-406: A marriage alliance before returning to Francia with his new bride. Desiderius's daughter is traditionally known as Desiderata , although she may have been named Gerperga. Anxious about the prospect of a Frankish–Lombard alliance, Pope Stephen sent a letter to both Frankish kings decrying the marriage and separately sought closer ties with Carloman. Charlemagne had already had a relationship with
832-588: A monastery in Rome. He had at least two sons; the elder, Drogo , took his place. Charlemagne's year of birth is uncertain, although it was most likely in 748. An older tradition based on three sources, however, gives a birth year of 742. The ninth-century biographer Einhard reports Charlemagne as being 72 years old at the time of his death; the Royal Frankish Annals imprecisely gives his age at death as about 71, and his original epitaph called him
936-648: A monastery, and Charlemagne absorbed Bavaria into his kingdom. Charlemagne spent the next few years based in Regensburg , largely focused on consolidating his rule of Bavaria and warring against the Avars. Successful campaigns against them were launched from Bavaria and Italy in 788, and Charlemagne led campaigns in 791 and 792. Charlemagne gave Charles the Younger rule of Maine in Neustria in 789, leaving Pepin
1040-857: A name he shared with his half-brother. Louis and the newly renamed Pepin were then anointed and crowned. Pepin was appointed king of the Lombards, and Louis king of Aquitaine. This act was not nominal, since the young kings were sent to live in their kingdoms under the care of regents and advisers. A delegation from the Byzantine Empire , the remnant of the Roman Empire in the East, met Charlemagne during his stay in Rome; Charlemagne agreed to betroth his daughter Rotrude to Empress Irene 's son, Emperor Constantine VI . Hildegard gave birth to her eighth child, Gisela , during this trip to Italy. After
1144-563: A number of crimes and physically attacked him in April 799, attempting to remove his eyes and tongue. Leo escaped and fled north to seek Charlemagne's help. Charlemagne continued his campaign against the Saxons before breaking off to meet Leo at Paderborn in September. Hearing evidence from the pope and his enemies, he sent Leo back to Rome with royal legates who were instructed to reinstate
SECTION 10
#17327654489501248-683: A period of cultural activity known as the Carolingian Renaissance . Charlemagne died in 814 and was laid to rest at Aachen Cathedral in Aachen , his imperial capital city. He was succeeded by his only surviving legitimate son, Louis the Pious . After Louis, the Frankish kingdom was divided and eventually coalesced into West and East Francia , which later became France and Germany , respectively. Charlemagne's profound influence on
1352-538: A powerful magnate in Carloman's kingdom. This was a reaction to Desiderius's sheltering of Carloman's family and a move to secure Gerold's support. Charlemagne's first campaigning season as sole king of the Franks was spent on the eastern frontier in his first war against the Saxons , who had been engaging in border raids on the Frankish kingdom when Charlemagne responded by destroying the pagan Irminsul at Eresburg and seizing their gold and silver. The success of
1456-504: A septuagenarian. Einhard said that he did not know much about Charlemagne's early life; some modern scholars believe that, not knowing the emperor's true age, he still sought to present an exact date in keeping with the Roman imperial biographies of Suetonius , which he used as a model. All three sources may have been influenced by Psalm 90 : "The days of our years are threescore years and ten". Historian Karl Ferdinand Werner challenged
1560-476: A single Frankish kingdom. The Royal Frankish Annals report that Charlemagne ruled Austrasia and Carloman ruled Burgundy , Provence , Aquitaine, and Alamannia , with no mention made of which brother received Neustria. The immediate concern of the brothers was the ongoing uprising in Aquitaine. They marched into Aquitaine together, but Carloman returned to Francia for unknown reasons and Charlemagne completed
1664-497: Is an accepted version of this page Charlemagne ( / ˈ ʃ ɑːr l ə m eɪ n / SHAR -lə-mayn ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian Empire from 800, holding these titles until his death in 814. He united most of Western and Central Europe , and was the first recognised emperor to rule from
1768-641: Is currently at the Bodleian Library in Oxford (Ms. Jun. 13). The Old High German Tatian is a literal translation split into two columns, with the Latin text on the left and the Old High German text on the right. The two texts are written in the same line and word order, and the verbatim translation is only occasionally replaced by a freer translation technique. Furthermore, the structuring of
1872-450: Is debated, with little direct evidence from contemporary sources. He normally had texts read aloud to him and dictated responses and decrees, but this was not unusual even for a literate ruler at the time. Historian Johannes Fried considers it likely that Charlemagne would have been able to read, but the medievalist Paul Dutton writes that "the evidence for his ability to read is circumstantial and inferential at best" and concludes that it
1976-426: Is likely that he never properly mastered the skill. Einhard makes no direct mention of Charlemagne reading, and recorded that he only attempted to learn to write later in life. There are only occasional references to Charlemagne in the Frankish annals during his father's lifetime. By 751 or 752, Pepin had deposed Childeric and replaced him as king. Early Carolingian-influenced sources claim that Pepin's seizure of
2080-515: The Battle of Roncevaux Pass . The Franks, defeated in the battle, withdrew with most of their army intact. Charlemagne returned to Francia to greet his newborn twin sons, Louis and Lothair, who were born while he was in Spain; Lothair died in infancy. Again, Saxons had seized on the king's absence to raid. Charlemagne sent an army to Saxony in 779 while he held assemblies, legislated, and addressed
2184-471: The Battle of Tertry . Pepin was the grandson of two important figures of Austrasia: Arnulf of Metz and Pepin of Landen . The mayors of the palace had gained influence as the Merovingian kings' power waned due to divisions of the kingdom and several succession crises. Pepin was eventually succeeded by his son Charles, later known as Charles Martel. Charles did not support a Merovingian successor upon
SECTION 20
#17327654489502288-536: The Capitulatio "constituted a program for the forced conversion of the Saxons " and was "aimed ... at suppressing Saxon identity". Charlemagne's focus for the next several years would be on his attempt to complete the subjugation of the Saxons. Concentrating first in Westphalia in 783, he pushed into Thuringia in 784 as his son Charles the Younger continued operations in the west. At each stage of
2392-628: The Carolingian Empire is the background to the Bible translations from the 8th and 9th century. It posed a challenge to the rulers of that time, as the principles of the Christian faith needed to be conveyed in a language that all Christian inhabitants of the Frankish Empire could understand. Additionally, the situation must be viewed in the context of the regulations on the teaching of faith issued by Charlemagne ( Admonitio generalis , 789 AD),
2496-689: The Franks had been Christianised ; this was due in considerable measure to the conversion of their king, Clovis I , to Catholicism. The Franks had established a kingdom in Gaul in the wake of the Fall of the Western Roman Empire . This kingdom, Francia , grew to encompass nearly all of present-day France and Switzerland, along with parts of modern Germany and the Low Countries under
2600-638: The Massacre of Verden against the Saxons . He also sent envoys and initiated diplomatic contact with the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid in the 790s, due to their mutual interest in Iberian affairs. In 800, Charlemagne was crowned emperor in Rome by Pope Leo III . Although historians debate the coronation's significance, the title represented the height of his prestige and authority. Charlemagne's position as
2704-410: The Royal Frankish Annals , Leo prostrated himself before Charlemagne after crowning him (an act of submission standard in Roman coronation rituals from the time of Diocletian ). This account presents Leo not as Charlemagne's superior, but as the agent of the Roman people who acclaimed Charlemagne as emperor. Historian Henry Mayr-Harting claims that the assumption of the imperial title by Charlemagne
2808-569: The Saxon Wars . Charlemagne travelled to Italy in 786, arriving by Christmas. Aiming to extend his influence further into southern Italy, he marched into the Duchy of Benevento. Duke Arechis fled to a fortified position at Salerno before offering Charlemagne his fealty. Charlemagne accepted his submission and hostages, who included Arechis's son Grimoald . In Italy, Charlemagne also met with envoys from Constantinople. Empress Irene had called
2912-650: The Saxon wars , and the Council of Frankfurt (794 AD). These events all led to a number of translations of texts on faith as well as of functional texts for church life at the beginning of the 9th century. Considering these circumstances, the Old High German Tatian may have served to support and accelerate the missionary work of the Christian rulers in the West. 2. In regard to the training of clerics,
3016-679: The ecclesia as the Pope conceived it, of the Roman Church, regarded as the universal Church". The Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire remained a significant contemporary power in European politics for Leo and Charlemagne, especially in Italy. The Byzantines continued to hold a substantial portion of Italy, with their borders not far south of Rome. Empress Irene had seized the throne from her son Constantine VI in 797, deposing and blinding him. Irene,
3120-488: The massacre of Verden . Fried writes, "Although this figure may be exaggerated, the basic truth of the event is not in doubt", and Alessandro Barbero calls it "perhaps the greatest stain on his reputation." Charlemagne issued the Capitulatio de partibus Saxoniae , probably in the immediate aftermath of (or as a precursor of) the massacre. With a harsh set of laws which included the death penalty for pagan practices,
3224-634: The "Andria" of Terence (Terenz in German). Of his own writings he mentions in the above letter a "New Rhetoric" and a "New Computus" and a few other smaller works in Latin. We still possess the Rhetoric, the Computus (a manual for calculating the dates of ecclesiastical celebrations, especially of Easter), the essay "De partibus logicae", and the German essay on Music. In R. Kögel's opinion Notker Labeo
Old High German Tatian - Misplaced Pages Continue
3328-415: The 775 Saxon and Friulian campaigns, his daughter Rotrude was born in Francia. Returning north, Charlemagne waged another brief, destructive campaign against the Saxons in 776. This led to the submission of many Saxons, who turned over captives and lands and submitted to baptism . In 777, Charlemagne held an assembly at Paderborn with Frankish and Saxon men; many more Saxons came under his rule, but
3432-419: The 787 Second Council of Nicaea , but did not inform Charlemagne or invite any Frankish bishops. Charlemagne, probably in reaction to the perceived slight of the exclusion, broke the betrothal of his daughter Rotrude and Constantine VI. After Charlemagne left Italy, Arechis sent envoys to Irene to offer an alliance; he suggested that she send a Byzantine army with Adalgis, the exiled son of Desiderus, to remove
3536-470: The Alamannian noblewoman Luitgard shortly afterwards. Charlemagne gathered an army after the council of Frankfurt as Saxon resistance continued, beginning a series of annual campaigns which lasted through 799. The campaigns of the 790s were even more destructive than those of earlier decades, with the annal writers frequently noting Charlemagne "burning", "ravaging", "devastating", and "laying waste"
3640-503: The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms "like satellite states," establishing direct relations with English bishops. Charlemagne also forged an alliance with Alfonso II of Asturias , although Einhard calls Alfonso his "dependent". Following his sack of Lisbon in 798, Alfonso sent Charlemagne trophies of his victory, including armour, mules and prisoners. After Leo III became pope in 795, he faced political opposition. His enemies accused him of
3744-417: The Avars in the south, which led to the collapse of their kingdom and the eastward expansion of Frankish rule. Charlemagne also worked to expand his influence through diplomatic means during the 790s wars, focusing on the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Britain. Charles the Younger proposed a marriage pact with the daughter of King Offa of Mercia , but Offa insisted that Charlemagne's daughter Bertha also be given as
3848-508: The Bavarian city of Bolzano . Charlemagne gathered his forces to prepare for an invasion of Bavaria in 787. Dividing the army, the Franks launched a three-pronged attack. Quickly realizing his poor position, Tassilo agreed to surrender and recognise Charlemagne as his overlord. The following year, Tassilo was accused of plotting with the Avars to attack Charlemagne. He was deposed and sent to
3952-519: The Byzantines. This formulation (with the continuation of his earlier royal titles) may also represent a view of his role as emperor as being the ruler of the people of the city of Rome, as he was of the Franks and the Lombards. Charlemagne left Italy in the summer of 801 after adjudicating several ecclesiastical disputes in Rome and experiencing an earthquake in Spoleto . He never returned to
4056-736: The East Frankish count Radolf, by the end of the year. In summer 782, Widukind returned from Denmark to attack the Frankish positions in Saxony. He defeated a Frankish army, possibly due to rivalry among the Frankish counts leading it. Charlemagne came to Verden after learning of the defeat, but Widukind fled before his arrival. Charlemagne summoned the Saxon magnates to an assembly and compelled them to turn prisoners over to him, since he regarded their previous acts as treachery. The annals record that Charlemagne had 4,500 Saxon prisoners beheaded in
4160-461: The Frankish borderlands, leading to a Frankish counter-raid in the autumn of 774 and a reprisal campaign the following year. Charlemagne was soon drawn back to Italy as Duke Hrodgaud of Friuli rebelled against him. He quickly crushed the rebellion, distributing Hrodgaud's lands to the Franks to consolidate his rule in Lombardy. Charlemagne wintered in Italy, consolidating his power by issuing charters and legislation and taking Lombard hostages. Amid
4264-481: The Frankish kings. Both brothers sent troops to Rome, each hoping to exert his own influence. The Lombard king Desiderius also had interests in Roman affairs, and Charlemagne attempted to enlist him as an ally. Desiderius already had alliances with Bavaria and Benevento through the marriages of his daughters to their dukes, and an alliance with Charlemagne would add to his influence. Charlemagne's mother, Bertrada, went on his behalf to Lombardy in 770 and brokered
Old High German Tatian - Misplaced Pages Continue
4368-455: The Frankish noblewoman Himiltrude , and they had a son in 769 named Pepin . Paul the Deacon wrote in his 784 Gesta Episcoporum Mettensium that Pepin was born "before legal marriage", but does not say whether Charles and Himiltrude ever married, were joined in a non-canonical marriage ( friedelehe ), or married after Pepin was born. Pope Stephen's letter described the relationship as
4472-432: The Franks from power in Lombardy. Before his plans could be finalised, Aldechis and his elder son Romuald died of illness within weeks of each other. Charlemagne sent Grimoald back to Benevento to serve as duke and return it to Frankish suzerainty. The Byzantine army invaded , but were repulsed by the Frankish and Lombard forces. As affairs were being settled in Italy, Charlemagne turned his attention to Bavaria. Bavaria
4576-468: The German ( Latin : Notcerus Teutonicus ) or Notker III , was a Benedictine monk active as a scholar and teacher. He was the first commentator on Aristotle active in the Middle Ages and translated the works of earlier Latin writers such as Boethius and Martianus Capella . Notker is also attributed the authorship of five short essays on music. Labeo means 'the thick-lipped one'. Later he
4680-551: The Great'). In modern German, he is known as Karl der Große . The Latin epithet magnus ('great') may have been associated with him during his lifetime, but this is not certain. The contemporary Royal Frankish Annals routinely call him Carolus magnus rex ("Charles the great king"). That epithet is attested in the works of the Poeta Saxo around 900, and it had become commonly applied to him by 1000. Charlemagne
4784-524: The Hunchback his only son without lands. His relationship with Himiltrude was now apparently seen as illegitimate at his court, and Pepin was sidelined from the succession. In 792, as his father and brothers were gathered in Regensburg, Pepin conspired with Bavarian nobles to assassinate them and install himself as king. The plot was discovered and revealed to Charlemagne before it could proceed; Pepin
4888-462: The Lombard king directly, Adrian sent emissaries to Charlemagne to gain his support for recovering papal territory. Charlemagne, in response to this appeal and the dynastic threat of Carloman's sons in the Lombard court, gathered his forces to intervene. He first sought a diplomatic solution, offering gold to Desiderius in exchange for the return of the papal territories and his nephews. This overture
4992-476: The Lombards shortly after his return to Pavia, and they surrendered the city by June 774. Charlemagne deposed Desiderius and took the title of King of the Lombards. The takeover of one kingdom by another was "extraordinary", and the authors of The Carolingian World call it "without parallel". Charlemagne secured the support of the Lombard nobles and Italian urban elites to seize power in a mainly-peaceful annexation. Historian Rosamond McKitterick suggests that
5096-480: The Lombards" instead of the earlier form "Charles, by the grace of God king of the Franks and Lombards and patrician of the Romans." Leo acclaimed Charlemagne as "emperor of the Romans" during the coronation, but Charlemagne never used this title. The avoidance of the specific claim of being a "Roman emperor", as opposed to the more-neutral "emperor governing the Roman empire", may have been to improve relations with
5200-666: The Middle Ages and influence on the territory he ruled has led him to be called the "Father of Europe" by many historians. He is seen as a founding figure by multiple European states and a number of historical royal houses of Europe trace their lineage back to him. Charlemagne has been the subject of artworks, monuments and literature during and after the medieval period and is venerated by the Catholic Church . Several languages were spoken in Charlemagne's world, and he
5304-542: The Old High German Tatian is one of the greatest Old High German manuscripts. In terms of language history, its significance lies in the fact that it constitutes the first documented example of a uniform German text. Furthermore, it provides insights into linguistic-historical developments, as well as into Old High German vocabulary. Additionally, the Old High German Tatian influenced the Heliand , particularly regarding its choice of subject matter. Charlemagne This
SECTION 50
#17327654489505408-434: The Old High German Tatian may have served as a precursor to the study of the individual Gospels . For those whose knowledge of the Latin language was limited or nonexistent, it would have helped cultivate a better understanding of the original texts. For those who knew Latin, the manuscript could have served as a way to check the veracity of translations. Along with the works of Notker the German and Otfrid of Weissenburg ,
5512-1481: The Prodigal Son : Latin Ait autem: homo quidam habuit duos filios. 12. Et dixit adolescentior ex illis patri: pater, da mihi portionem substantiae quae me contingit. Et divisit illis substantiam. 13. Et non post multos dies congregatis omnibus adolescentior filius peregre profectus est in regionem longinquam et ibi dissipavit substantiam suam vivendo luxuriose. Old High German Quad tho: sum man habata zuuene suni. Quad tho der iungoro fon then themo fater: fater, gib mir teil thero hehti thiu mir gibure. Her tho teilta thia héht. Nalles after manegen tagon gisamonoten allen ther iungoro sun elilentes fuor in uerra lantscaf inti dar ziuuarf sina héht lebento uirnlustigo. 14. Et postquam omnia consummasset, facta est fames valida in regione illa, et ipse coepit egere. 15. Et abiit et adhaesit uni civium regionis illius, et misit illum in villam suam, ut pasceret porcos. 16. Et cupiebat implere ventrem suum de siliquis quas porci manducabant, et nemo illi dabat. Inti after thiu her iz al uorlós, uuard hungar strengi in thero lantscefi; her bigonda tho armen. Inti gieng inti zuoclebeta einemo thero burgliuto thero lantscefi, inti santa inan in sin thorf, thaz her fuotriti suuin. Inti girdinota gifullen sina uuamba fon siliquis theo thiu suuin azzun, inti nioman imo ni gab. The intentions were two-fold: 1. The multilingualism of
5616-518: The Saxon lands. Charlemagne forcibly removed a large number of Saxons to Francia, installing Frankish elites and soldiers in their place. His extended wars in Saxony led to his establishing his court in Aachen , which had easy access to the frontier. He built a large palace there, including a chapel which is now part of the Aachen Cathedral . Einhard joined the court at that time. Pepin of Italy (Carloman) engaged in further wars against
5720-468: The Saxon magnate Widukind fled to Denmark to prepare for a new rebellion. Also at the Paderborn assembly were representatives of dissident factions from al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). They included the son and son-in-law of Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri , the former governor of Córdoba ousted by Caliph Abd al-Rahman in 756, who sought Charlemagne's support for al-Fihri's restoration. Also present
5824-504: The abbey of Saint-Denis , although the extent of Charlemagne's formal education is unknown. He almost certainly was trained in military matters as a youth in Pepin's court, which was itinerant . Charlemagne also asserted his own education in the liberal arts in encouraging their study by his children and others, although it is unknown whether his study was as a child or at court during his later life. The question of Charlemagne's literacy
5928-473: The acceptance of 742 as the Frankish king's birth year, citing an addition to the Annales Petaviani which records Charlemagne's birth in 747. Lorsch Abbey commemorated Charlemagne's date of birth as 2 April from the mid-ninth century, and this date is likely to be genuine. Matthias Becher built on Werner's work and showed that 2 April in the year recorded would have actually been in 748, since
6032-581: The annalists recorded the start of the year from Easter rather than 1 January. Presently, most scholars accept April 748 for Charlemagne's birth. Charlemagne's place of birth is unknown. The Frankish palaces in Vaires-sur-Marne and Quierzy are among the places suggested by scholars. Pepin the Short held an assembly in Düren in 748, but it cannot be proved that it took place in April or if Bertrada
6136-428: The boys were forced into a monastery (a common solution of dynastic issues), or "an act of murder smooth[ed] Charlemagne's ascent to power." Adalgis was not captured by Charlemagne, and fled to Constantinople. Charlemagne left the siege in April 774 to celebrate Easter in Rome. Pope Adrian arranged a formal welcome for the Frankish king, and they swore oaths to each other over the relics of St. Peter. Adrian presented
6240-430: The campaign on his own. Charlemagne's capture of Duke Hunald marked the end of ten years of war that had been waged in the attempt to bring Aquitaine into line. Carloman's refusal to participate in the war against Aquitaine led to a rift between the kings. It is uncertain why Carloman abandoned the campaign; the brothers may have disagreed about control of the territory, or Carloman was focused on securing his rule in
6344-414: The campaigns, the Frankish armies seized wealth and carried Saxon captives into slavery. Unusually, Charlemagne campaigned through the winter instead of resting his army. By 785, he had suppressed the Saxon resistance and completely commanded Westphalia. That summer, he met Widukind and persuaded him to end his resistance. Widukind agreed to be baptised with Charlemagne as his godfather, ending this phase of
SECTION 60
#17327654489506448-400: The church if he knew about the pope's plan; modern historians have regarded his report as truthful or rejected it as a literary device demonstrating Charlemagne's humility. Collins says that the actions surrounding the coronation indicate that it was planned by Charlemagne as early as his meeting with Leo in 799, and Fried writes that Charlemagne planned to adopt the title of emperor by 798 "at
6552-408: The city. Continuing trends and a ruling style established in the 790s, Charlemagne's reign from 801 onward is a "distinct phase" characterised by more sedentary rule from Aachen. Although conflict continued until the end of his reign, the relative peace of the imperial period allowed for attention on internal governance. The Franks continued to wage war, though these wars were defending and securing
6656-480: The death of King Theuderic IV in 737, leaving the throne vacant. He made plans to divide the kingdom between his sons, Carloman and Pepin the Short , who succeeded him after his death in 741. The brothers placed the Merovingian Childeric III on the throne in 743. Pepin married Bertrada , a member of an influential Austrasian noble family, in 744. In 747, Carloman abdicated and entered
6760-487: The elective nature of the Lombard monarchy eased Charlemagne's takeover, and Roger Collins attributes the easy conquest to the Lombard elite's "presupposition that rightful authority was in the hands of the one powerful enough to seize it". Charlemagne soon returned to Francia with the Lombard royal treasury and with Desiderius and his family, who would be confined to a monastery for the rest of their lives. The Saxons took advantage of Charlemagne's absence in Italy to raid
6864-606: The empire's frontiers, and Charlemagne rarely led armies personally. A significant expansion of the Spanish March was achieved with a series of campaigns by Louis against the Emirate of Cordoba, culminating in the 801 capture of Barcelona . The 802 Capitulare missorum generale was an expansive piece of legislation, with provisions governing the conduct of royal officials and requiring that all free men take an oath of loyalty to Charlemagne. The capitulary reformed
6968-479: The fact that at this moment a woman was reigning in Constantinople." Leo's main motivations may have been the desire to increase his standing after his political difficulties, placing himself as a power broker and securing Charlemagne as a powerful ally and protector. The Byzantine Empire's lack of ability to influence events in Italy and support the papacy were also important to Leo's position. According to
7072-458: The first Byzantine empress, faced opposition in Constantinople because of her gender and her means of accession. One of the earliest narrative sources for the coronation, the Annals of Lorsch , presented a female ruler in Constantinople as a vacancy in the imperial title which justified Leo's coronation of Charlemagne. Pirenne disagrees, saying that the coronation "was not in any sense explained by
7176-625: The first emperor in the West in over 300 years brought him into conflict with the Eastern Roman Empire in Constantinople . Through his assumption of the imperial title, he is considered the forerunner to the line of Holy Roman Emperors , which persisted into the nineteenth century. As king and emperor, Charlemagne engaged in a number of reforms in administration, law, education, military organization, and religion, which shaped Europe for centuries. The stability of his reign began
7280-470: The institution of the missi dominici , officials who would now be assigned in pairs (a cleric and a lay aristocrat) to administer justice and oversee governance in defined territories. The emperor also ordered the revision of the Lombard and Frankish legal codes. In addition to the missi , Charlemagne also ruled parts of the empire with his sons as sub-kings. Although Pepin and Louis had some authority as kings in Italy and Aquitaine, Charlemagne had
7384-399: The latest." During the years before the coronation, Charlemagne's courtier Alcuin referred to his realm as an Imperium Christianum ("Christian Empire") in which "just as the inhabitants of the Roman Empire had been united by a common Roman citizenship", the new empire would be united by a common Christian faith. This is the view of Henri Pirenne , who says that "Charles was the Emperor of
7488-522: The manuscript G (St. Gallen's Cod. Sang. 56) is the only known surviving one, the existence of other manuscripts is suspected. This assumption is based on the fact that there are references to another manuscript in excerpts from the margins of the Paris Conversations (Paris, Bibl. Nat., Ms. Lat. 7461) and in text samples from the "De literis et lingua Getarum siue Gothorum" (1597) by Bonaventura Vulcanius . An incomplete copy of said manuscript
7592-447: The north of Francia. Regardless of the strife between the kings, they maintained a joint rule for practical reasons. Charlemagne and Carloman worked to obtain the support of the clergy and local elites to solidify their positions. Pope Stephen III was elected in 768, but was briefly deposed by Antipope Constantine II before being restored to Rome. Stephen's papacy experienced continuing factional struggles, so he sought support from
7696-463: The paragraphs and the highlighting of the Latin texts through the use of initials makes the German text appear subordinate to the Latin text. The manuscript appears to have been compiled by six scribes, each with different abilities and writing styles, which makes the overall text seem inconsistent. However, the Fulda style of writing largely dominates. Section 97 Luke 15:11-31: The Parable of
7800-705: The plague. Among his most distinguished pupils are the aforementioned Ekkehard IV, Salomo III bishop of Constance, and Batherus , a wandering scholar who wrote a biography of St. Fridolin . For the benefit of his pupils he translated several texts from Latin into German. He mentions eleven of these translations, but unfortunately only five are preserved: (1) Boethius , "De consolatione philosophiae"; (2) Martianus Capella , "De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii"; (3) Aristotle , "De categoriis"; (4) Aristotle, "De interpretatione"; (5) "The Psalter ". Among those lost are: "The Book of Job ", at which he worked for more than five years; " Disticha Catonis "; Virgil 's "Bucolica"; and
7904-509: The pope and conduct a further investigation. In August of the following year, Charlemagne made plans to go to Rome after an extensive tour of his lands in Neustria. Charlemagne met Leo in November near Mentana at the twelfth milestone outside Rome, the traditional location where Roman emperors began their formal entry into the city. Charlemagne presided over an assembly to hear the charges, but believed that no one could sit in judgement of
8008-449: The pope. Leo swore an oath on 23 December, declaring his innocence of all charges. At mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Day 800, Leo proclaimed Charlemagne "emperor of the Romans" ( Imperator Romanorum ) and crowned him. Charlemagne was the first reigning emperor in the west since the deposition of Romulus Augustulus in 476. His son, Charles the Younger , was anointed king by Leo at
8112-574: The production of the Libri Carolini , a detailed argument against Nicea's canons. In 794, Charlemagne called another council in Frankfurt . The council confirmed Regensburg's positions on adoptionism and Nicea, recognised the deposition of Tassilo, set grain prices, reformed Frankish coinage, forbade abbesses from blessing men, and endorsed prayer in vernacular languages. Soon after the council, Fastrada fell ill and died; Charlemagne married
8216-424: The royal family's return to Francia, she had her final pregnancy and died from its complications on 30 April 783. The child, named after her, died shortly thereafter. Charlemagne commissioned epitaphs for his wife and daughter, and arranged for a Mass to be said daily at Hildegard's tomb. Charlemagne's mother Bertrada died shortly after Hildegard, on 12 July 783. Charlemagne was remarried to Fastrada , daughter of
8320-531: The rule of the Merovingian dynasty . Francia was often divided under different Merovingian kings, due to the partible inheritance practised by the Franks. The late seventh century saw a period of war and instability following the murder of King Childeric II , which led to factional struggles among the Frankish aristocrats. Pepin of Herstal , mayor of the palace of Austrasia , ended the strife between various kings and their mayors with his 687 victory at
8424-620: The same time, sending him and his brother to a monastery. Charlemagne began issuing charters in his own name in 760. The following year, he joined his father's campaign against Aquitaine . Aquitaine, led by Dukes Hunald and Waiofar , was constantly in rebellion during Pepin's reign. Pepin fell ill on campaign there and died on 24 September 768, and Charlemagne and Carloman succeeded their father. They had separate coronations, Charlemagne at Noyon and Carloman at Soissons , on 9 October. The brothers maintained separate palaces and spheres of influence, although they were considered joint rulers of
8528-404: The same time. Historians differ about the intentions of the imperial coronation, the extent to which Charlemagne was aware of it or participated in its planning, and the significance of the events for those present and for Charlemagne's reign. Contemporary Frankish and papal sources differ in their emphasis on, and representation of, events. Einhard writes that Charlemagne would not have entered
8632-489: The school under abbot Burckhard II . His contemporaries admired him as a theologian, philologist, mathematician, astronomer, connoisseur of music, and poet. He tells of his studies and his literary work in a letter to Bishop Hugo of Sitten (998–1017), and we also know of his activities through texts from his pupil Ekkehard IV . The Necrologium sancti Galli recorded his death under 28 June, 1022, as "Obitus Notkeri doctissimi atque benignissimi magistri". He died stricken by
8736-534: The sole ruler three years later. Charlemagne continued his father's policy of protecting the papacy and became its chief defender, removing the Lombards from power in northern Italy in 774. His reign saw a period of expansion that led to the conquests of Bavaria , Saxony and northern Spain , as well as other campaigns that led Charlemagne to extend his rule over a large part of Europe. Charlemagne spread Christianity to his new conquests (often by force), as seen at
8840-525: The throne was sanctioned beforehand by Pope Stephen II , but modern historians dispute this. It is possible that papal approval came only when Stephen travelled to Francia in 754 (apparently to request Pepin's aid against the Lombards), and on this trip anointed Pepin as king; this legitimised his rule. Charlemagne was sent to greet and escort the Pope, and he and his younger brother Carloman were anointed with their father. Pepin sidelined Drogo around
8944-402: The title as representing dominion over lands he already ruled. However, the title of emperor gave Charlemagne enhanced prestige and ideological authority. He immediately incorporated his new title into documents he issued, adopting the formula "Charles, most serene augustus , crowned by God, great peaceful emperor governing the Roman empire, and who is by the mercy of God king of the Franks and
9048-583: The ultimate authority and directly intervened. Charles, their elder brother, had been given lands in Neustria in 789 or 790 and made a king in 800. The 806 charter Divisio Regnorum ( Division of the Realm ) set the terms of Charlemagne's succession. Charles, as his eldest son in good favour, was given the largest share of the inheritance: rule of Francia, Saxony, Nordgau , and parts of Alemannia. The two younger sons were confirmed in their kingdoms and gained additional territories; most of Bavaria and Alemmannia
9152-403: The war helped secure Charlemagne's reputation among his brother's former supporters and funded further military action. The campaign was the beginning of over thirty years of nearly-continuous warfare against the Saxons by Charlemagne. Pope Adrian I succeeded Stephen III in 772, and sought the return of papal control of cities that had been captured by Desiderius. Unsuccessful in dealing with
9256-625: The way. Charlemagne left Bernard to maintain the siege at Pavia while he took a force to capture Verona, where Desiderius's son Adalgis had taken Carloman's sons. Charlemagne captured the city; no further record exists of his nephews or of Carloman's wife, and their fate is unknown. Recent biographer, Janet Nelson compares them to the Princes in the Tower in the Wars of the Roses . Fried suggests that
9360-523: The west after the fall of the Western Roman Empire approximately three centuries earlier. Charlemagne's reign was marked by political and social changes that had lasting influence on Europe throughout the Middle Ages . A member of the Frankish Carolingian dynasty , Charlemagne was the eldest son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon . With his brother, Carloman I , he became king of the Franks in 768 following Pepin's death and became
9464-480: The whole of [Italy]", considering this a motivation for the coronation. He notes the "element of political and military risk" inherent in the affair due to the opposition of the Byzantine Empire and potential opposition from the Frankish elite, as the imperial title could draw him further into Mediterranean politics. Collins sees several of Charlemagne's actions as attempts to ensure that his new title had
9568-494: Was Sulayman al-Arabi , governor of Barcelona and Girona, who wanted to become part of the Frankish kingdom and receive Charlemagne's protection rather than remain under the rule of Córdoba. Charlemagne, seeing an opportunity to strengthen the security of the kingdom's southern frontier and extend his influence, agreed to intervene. Crossing the Pyrenees, his army found little resistance until an ambush by Basque forces in 778 at
9672-467: Was also a significant cosmographer . His early cartographic efforts led to the first atlas, constructed in the abbey of St Gall under Abbot Purchart II between 1001 and 1022. It was based on the Consolatio philosophiae (483 - about 525 CE) of late antiquity . The world map included ethnological content of respective global regions and served didactic purposes. The original remains intact in
9776-727: Was an effort to incorporate the Saxons into the Frankish realm, since they did not have a native tradition of kingship. However, Costambeys et al. note in The Carolingian World that "since Saxony had not been in the Roman empire it is hard to see on what basis an emperor would have been any more welcomed." These authors write that the decision to take the title of emperor was aimed at furthering Charlemagne's influence in Italy, as an appeal to traditional authority recognised by Italian elites within and (especially) outside his control. Collins also writes that becoming emperor gave Charlemagne "the right to try to impose his rule over
9880-420: Was given to Pepin, and Provence, Septimania, and parts of Burgundy were given to Louis. Charlemagne did not address the inheritance of the imperial title. The Divisio also provided that if any of the brothers predeceased Charlemagne, their sons would inherit their share; peace was urged among his descendants. Notker Labeo Notker Labeo ( c. 950 – 28 June 1022), also known as Notker
9984-688: Was known to contemporaries as Karlus in the Old High German he spoke; as Karlo to Early Old French (or Proto-Romance ) speakers; and as Carolus (or Karolus ) in Medieval Latin , the formal language of writing and diplomacy. Charles is the modern English form of these names. The name Charlemagne , as the emperor is normally known in English, comes from the French Charles-le-magne ('Charles
10088-517: Was named Teutonicus in recognition of his services to the German language . He was born about 950, from a noble family of Thurgau , and he was a nephew of Ekkehard I , the poet of Waltharius . He went to the Abbey of Saint Gall when only a boy, and there acquired a vast and varied knowledge by omnivorous reading. After finishing his education, he continued in the abbey as a teacher and then head of
10192-473: Was named after his grandfather, Charles Martel . That name, and its derivatives, are unattested before their use by Charles Martel and Charlemagne. Karolus was adapted by Slavic languages as their word for "king" ( Russian : korol' , Polish : król and Slovak : král ) through Charlemagne's influence or that of his great-grandson, Charles the Fat . By the sixth century, the western Germanic tribe of
10296-550: Was of interest in his time, philosophy, universal and literary history, natural science, astronomy. He frequently quotes the classics and the Fathers of the Church . It is characteristic of Notker that at his dying request the poor were fed, and that he asked to be buried in the clothes which he was wearing in order that none might see the heavy chain with which he had been in the habit of mortifying his body. Notker III. (the German)
10400-566: Was one of the greatest stylists in German literature. "His achievements in this respect seem almost marvelous." His style, where it becomes most brilliant, is essentially poetical; he observes with surprising exactitude the laws of the language and created the first systematic orthography of Old High German and Swiss German . Latin and German he commanded with equal fluency; and while he did not understand Greek, he pretended that he did. He put an enormous amount of learning and erudition into his commentaries on his translations. Much may be found that
10504-462: Was rejected, and Charlemagne's army (commanded by himself and his uncle, Bernard ) crossed the Alps to besiege the Lombard capital of Pavia in late 773. Charlemagne's second son (also named Charles ) was born in 772, and Charlemagne brought the child and his wife to the camp at Pavia. Hildegard was pregnant, and gave birth to a daughter named Adelhaid. The baby was sent back to Francia, but died on
10608-522: Was ruled by Duke Tassilo , Charlemagne's first cousin, who had been installed by Pepin the Short in 748. Tassilo's sons were also grandsons of Desiderius, and a potential threat to Charlemagne's rule in Lombardy. The neighbouring rulers had a growing rivalry throughout their reigns, but had sworn oaths of peace to each other in 781. In 784, Rotpert (Charlemagne's viceroy in Italy) accused Tassilo of conspiring with Widukind in Saxony and unsuccessfully attacked
10712-520: Was sent to a monastery, and many of his co-conspirators were executed. The early 790s saw a marked focus on ecclesiastical affairs by Charlemagne. He summoned a council in Regensburg in 792 to address the theological controversy over the adoptionism doctrine in the Spanish church and formulate a response to the Second Council of Nicea. The council condemned adoptionism as heresy and led to
10816-555: Was with him. Einhard refers to Charlemagne's patrius sermo ("native tongue"). Most scholars have identified this as a form of Old High German , probably a Rhenish Franconian dialect . Due to the prevalence in Francia of " rustic Roman ", he was probably functionally bilingual in Germanic and Romance dialects at an early age. Charlemagne also spoke Latin and, according to Einhard, could understand and (perhaps) speak some Greek. Charlemagne's father Pepin had been educated at
#949050