NOTE: In the historical biographies on this web site, all capitals means the individual is a direct ancestor.
Also, I've color-coded my ancestors' names so that
Schmitt is white
Larson is blue
Farr is red
Helgeson is yellow
and indirect relatives are black.
If I'm related to them through more branches than just one, then there will be a mix of colors.
The man who affected art and learning in his widespread realm, who
became a father figure, the ideal king, the role model, was known as Charles the
Great, or Charlemagne.
In the late eighth century, PEPIN III gave his kingdom to his sons Carloman and Charlemagne. But in 771, Carloman died, and Charlemagne became sole ruler of the Franks.
He was forever making campaigns, striving to expand his land. The Bavarians and the Avars were defeated; Lombardy (north Italy) was conquered. On Christmas Day, 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans, much to the unrest of the Byzantines, who claimed the Emperor’s throne. Four years later, Charlemagne forcefully converted the Saxons, though they would continue to rise against his authority.
Having in his grasp a kingdom stretching from France to middle Germany, down to north Italy, the emperor supplied safe havens for scholars to study. He built churches and encouraged schools, even building a palace school at Aachen (or Aix-la-Chappelle), where Alcuin, an Anglo-Saxon, taught the students.
To control his power-hungry officials, the ruler appointed missi dominici, traveling sheriffs who checked even the pope for signs of rebellion. Charlemagne refused the pope’s efforts to gain control of the state, for Charlemagne submitted to God alone.
Click for information on CHARLEMAGNE'S dynasty, the Carolingians.
Sources:
Chisholm, Jane. World History Dates. Usborne Illustrated World History series. Tulsa, OK: EDC, n.d. 22-23.
Curtis, A. Kenneth, J. Stephen Lang, and Randy Peterson. The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History. Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 1998. 64-66.
Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. CD-ROM. 2000 ed. Redmond, WA: Microsoft, 1993-1999.
Fiske, Arland O. The Norwegian Heritage. Minot, ND: North American Heritage Press, 1990. 18.
Greenblatt, Miriam. Charlemagne. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2003.
Last updated 05/09/2005
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