Charlemagne's Influence On Modern Society

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What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of modern Europe? Whatever it is, it probably does not have anything to do with the middle ages, but this is the time when the foundations of the modern day was set. More specifically, Charlemagne’s Francian Empire set the stage for modern Europe. From the beginning of his reign to the end of his grandson’s, the actions of the Carolingians influence the world to this day. His political policies set the grounds for renaissance and, in turn, modern day government.
Charles I, also known as Karl the great or, even better known, Charlemagne, was born somewhere between 743 and 748 a.d. to King Pepin “The Short” of Francia, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica (Sullivan, 2014). It is unknown
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The actual war spanned somewhere around thirty three years, and the true cause of the violence lies in the antagonistic relationship held between the Franks and Saxons (Heritage History Staff, 2015). Though to be sure, another factor was the religious aspect, as he wanted to convert the Pagans to Christianity. This was shown when, during his campaign against the Saxons, he had his men burn down their sacred tree and destroy their idols, demanding total religious conversion (Barbero, 2004). Burning their idols was a way to show religious superiority over the Pagans, Charles hoped to show them the Christian god was more powerful than any of theirs and, in return, hoped to convince them to turn to his God, and also to show his dominion over them as the superior force (Wilson, 2007). However it was likely not the destruction of this sacred tree and the many idols that turned the people of Saxony to Christianity, rather it was far more likely the looming threat of destruction if they chose any other path. In fact, many scholars debate over if the tree Charles had burned held any religious significance at all. Some believe the tree was actually simply a memorial to Arminius, the German who defeated and freed his people from Roman rule (Heritage History Staff, …show more content…
When a dispute got out of hand and could not be resolved via the offended parties, the justice system would be put into action. If the offender were to be found guilty they would be punished in the way deemed appropriate, though in today's standards it most certainly would not be viewed as appropriate, as murdered only had to pay compensation for their crime where thieves would be mutilated or killed. Though he did set the premise for the system in which most people live now with judges deciding on a guilty or innocent verdict and subsequently punishing the offender, the judges of Charlemagne’s time were corrupt and unreliably (Barbero,

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