Charlemagne By: Matthew Barrera Ms. Marshall Walter Stiern Middle School HSS 7.6

Charlemagne’s Early Years Born in 742 at a place unknown His father Pepin the Short was in charge of a huge part of European land As a child Charlemagne did not receive proper education His childhood was overpowered by laborious task of his father’s kingdom, that one day he would rule

Young king Then on 768 Charlemagne’s father passed Frankland was then separated between Charlemagne and Carloman Both had their own coronation Both were unable to work together They never trusted each other

Early Years as a King His brother Carloman died in 771 Charlemagne was now known as the sole king At this time the northern half of Europe was pagan and lawless They were neglecting education and going back to there barbarian ways But Charlemagne was still determined to strengthen his realm

Wars To complete this objective Charlemagne set out for a 30 year military campaign By the 800’s Charlemagne was undefeated ruler of Europe His realm encompassed what are now France, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands Also included half of present day Italy and Germany, and parts of Austria and Spain

Governing an Empire He made a central government By making the central government he paved the way for the Holy Roman Empire It also helped Charlemagne on his conquests later in years It set the pattern for other rulers years after Charlemagne’s life

Charlemagne’s capital Yet another of Charlemagne’s accomplishments was the building of his permanent capital The capital laid in the small town of Aachen He choose the town of Aachen for its sites It contained many rooms for education, business, and for other hobbies Charlemagne enjoyed

Education in the capital Charlemagne was so eager to improve education in his capital One important feature of his capital was a school Ran by a church scholar from England named Alcuin Though only made for the royal family Charlemagne allowed everyone to come

Alcuin’s accomplishments Alcuin wrote textbooks for students on such subjects as grammar and spelling He also taught and trained teachers A result of Alcuin’s efforts was the use of a new easier to read script The script was named Carolingian* minuscule Our new printing and writing developed from this new script

Charlemagne’s Death After all of Charlemagne’s accomplishments Charlemagne fell ill with his constant fevers Charlemagne was fasting trying to cure himself, but it did not work It turned out to be a lung inflammation Then on January, 28, 814, Charlemagne died leaving his kingdom to his son Louis

Bibliography Greenblatt, Miriam. Charlemagne and the Early Middle Ages. 99 White Plains Road Tarrytown: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2003.