Einhard

himself, as shown by Einhard and Notker, and faith guided him throughout his entire reign as emperor. He was able to spread Christian faith in his kingdom by acting as a protector of the church and by trying to implement an unified practice of Christianity in all parts of his kingdom. This mutually beneficial relationship, in which Christian faith is upheld by the Pope and enforced by Charlemagne, was clearly established in Charlemagne’s coronation by Pope Leo III in 800 (Einhard, Life of…

also known as Charlemagne, ruled between the years of 768 and 814 CE. Einhard, a friend of Charlemagne, considers him the greatest king of the middle ages. Still, what characteristics does Einhard consider great, and how are those traits manifested in Charlemagne? Using Einhard’s work, The Life of Charlemagne, we can gleam insight into what made Charlemagne so great, as well as what is the mark of a great medieval king. Einhard, documents how Charlemagne was a great general, a friend of The…

Charlemagne, written by Einhard most likely in 826 – 827, gives a biographical account of the notorious Charlemagne, King of the Franks. While the account might be slightly biased due to Einhard being personally involved with Charlemagne’s court, the information present still allows historians a glimpse into the lives of Charlemagne and his family as well as…

future generations by Charlemagne’s loyal advisor, Einhard. He is portrayed as a physically strong and confident leader and conqueror that used his military prowess to further the church. For example, Einhard describes Charles as “strong and well built” and “tall in stature”. The Emperor “always appeared masterful and dignified,” spoke distinctly, and embodied the physical attributes that are universally associated with a strong leader (Einhard 76). Einhard spends a decent portion of the text…

would have applied this thought to Charlemagne reasoning to conquer parts of Europe in order to convert the barbarians. War would have placed soldiers and the common people that could have resisted this change in monarchy back into a state of nature. Einhard recounts that a…

Charlemagne” and is written by Einhard. The second biography is titled “Charlemagne” and is authored by Notker the Stammerer. Both biographies of Charlemagne are classical medieval literature, but they differ in their points of view and focus. Einhard mostly talked about the actual life of Charlemagne, the key political decisions, wars he was in, and the projects he’d been working on to help improve the society in his kingdom. Walahfrid Strabo states that “Einhard was one of the most highly…

life, and is a great example of how women could read and write during this time. Also, The Life of Charles the Great gives several accounts of the desire to be educated during the time. The Life of Charles the Great was written from 825 to 826 by Einhard, a long time member of Charlemagne's court who wrote about Charles’ life (Geary, 266). Einhard’s…

generous, giving alms to not only the poor in his own kingdom, but also to those overseas. He spared no expense when it came to religion in his kingdom, and perhaps the greatest example of this was his construction of the church at Aachen, which Einhard confirms as an undertaking of great expense, writing that Charlemagne, “...adorned it with gold and silver, with lamps, grillwork, and doors made of solid bronze. When he could not obtain the columns and marble from any place else, he took the…

code of laws in his country, but that was due to the almighty king doing so many good deeds all together – there are only so many things you can do at the same time! Einhard expresses only loyal respect for Charlemagne, seeing every decision he made as a beneficial one for his empire. The representation that he was given by Einhard may be somewhat biased, but I also think there is truth in to what he says. Loyalty was not an issue for Charlemagne, and he gave reason for earning that appreciation…

For example, when the Franks had defeated the Saxons, the Saxons were expected to join the Christian faith. “ … so that they might give up their ancestral religion and the worship of demons and receive the Christian faith and sacraments” (Murry, Einhard, 297). Although they were forced into the Christian religion, and most did not favor the religion, this led to a growth of Christianity in the few people that did accept the…