Einhard

Culture can be affected by many different factors. One factor that affected medieval culture was women’s book ownership. Susan Bell makes a claim that medieval women’s special relationship with books is often overlooked, but it influenced iconography, book content, and the geographical movement of ideas. The influence of women during the later medieval period affected vernacular language, religious thought, and the spread of cultures and this influence is often overshadowed by the activities and…

The pope called him for help so Charles went to Rome abd passed the winter there, he was ignorant of the pope intent and did not want any coronation. Einhard said about this trip: “He at first had such an aversion that he declared that he would not have set foot in the day that they were conferred although it was a great feast day, if he could have foreseen the design of the pope.” Charlemagne was given…

Most of histories notable stories are characterized by some great conflict or crisis. The books “The Two Lives of Charlemagne” by Einhart/Notker, “The Black Death” by John Aberth and “The Return of Martin Guerre” by Natalie Zemon-Davis are all historical accounts with vastly disparate perspectives but which are unified by a broad theme of overcoming (or attempting to overcome) hardships or trials. Given the uniqueness of each trial the attempts made at resolving the issues of the times are…

The French epic poem, The Song of Roland, tells a highly dramatized account of the Battle of Roncevaux in 778 during the reign of King Charlemagne of the Franks. Although Roland is mentioned once in a historical account of Charlemagne’s life by Einhard, the author elevates Roland to the status of Charlemagne’s nephew and leader of the Frankish army in a bloody battle against the Spanish Muslims. This poem, however, does not stress the heroism of Roland, Charlemagne, and the Frankish army based…

The so called “Great Man History” model of viewing historical events has become more and more unpopular in modern times, being replaced with the view that historical events are merely a product of the social and political trends of the time. While I do believe that the new model is for the most part correct, it is important not to take the denial of “Great Man History” so far as to ignore the importance of certain figures throughout history. That is why I deem the statement, “history is not made…

Einhard described Charlemagne as an extremely determined king, willing to do whatever was necessary to enforce the Saxons to truly convert to Christianity. Because he attacked Saxony under religious conviction, he validated the purpose for the war by claiming…

INTRODUCTION Many historians argue Charlemagne was the greatest uniting force of Europe since the Roman Empire under the “Five Good Emperors” (Machiavelli Ch. 10)1. My primary intent of this essay is to examine the rule of Charlemagne and why he is often acknowledged as the “Father of Europe”. With this goal in mind, I have studied the works of Rosamond McKitterick, Roger Collins, Alessandro Barbero, and Heinrich Fichtenau. Through these authors and historians I have gained insight into…

From Selfless Piety To The Sick And Needy Pilgrimages were important phenomena in European Christian culture during the Middle Ages. The early pilgrimages, such as Etheria’s pilgrimage to Jerusalem, differed from other types of travel and migration in where she went, the motivation to go, and the privileges she got. As pilgrimages evolved and became more widespread and local, they stayed similar in the type of destinations and dangers of the world, but the motivations behind changed. Pilgrims…

The decline of the great Roman Empire led to the occurrence of events that would alter the European world far more than any person could have possibly imagined. The most significant of these creations being the three heirs, Byzantium, the Islamic Empire, and Western Europe. All three have blaring similarities and differences that can be accounted for due to the decline of Rome. Byzantium found its stability from its previous life alongside the previous Great Empire of Rome, it took away Rome’s…

Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, greatly impacted Ancient Rome through his role as Emperor of Western Europe. Through art and culture Charlemagne’s traditions still exist today. In order to understand his impact it is crucial to learn his background, time as a ruler, effect on Ancient Rome, the Carolingian renaissance, and traditions that exist today. Just like any other ruler, Charlemagne had to start somewhere. Unfortunately the exact date of Charlemagne’s birth is unknown,…