Skip to main content Skip to Search Box
Definition: Charlemagne from Collins English Dictionary

n

1 ?742–814 ad, king of the Franks (768–814) and, as Charles I, Holy Roman Emperor (800–814). He conquered the Lombards (774), the Saxons (772–804), and the Avars (791–799). He instituted many judicial and ecclesiastical reforms, and promoted commerce and agriculture throughout his empire, which extended from the Ebro to the Elbe. Under Alcuin his court at Aachen became the centre of a revival of learning

Charlemagne

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(Charles the Great or Charles I)(shär'lӘmān) [O.Fr.,=Charles the great], 742?–814, emperor of the West (800–814), Carolingian king of the Franks (768–814). Elder son of Pepin the Short and a grandson of Charles Martel , Charlemagne shared with his brother Carloman in the succession to his father's kingdom. At Carloman's death (771), young Charlemagne annexed his brother's lands, disinheriting Carloman's two young sons, who fled with their mother to the court of Desiderius , king of the Lombards. When Desiderius conquered part of the papal lands and attempted to force Pope Adrian I to recognize Carloman's sons, Charlemagne intervened (773) on the side of the pope and defeated the Lombards. At Rome, Charlemagne was received by Adrian as patrician of the Romans (a title he had received with his father in 754), and he confirmed his father's donation to the Holy See. Shortly afterward he took Pavia, the Lombard capital, and assumed the iron crown of the Lombard kings of Italy. In 778 he…
2,498 results

Full text Article Charlemagne

From Philip's Encyclopedia
(lit. Charles the Great) King of the Franks (768-814) and Holy Roman Emperor (800-14). The eldest son of Pepin III (the Short) , he inherited half the Frankish kingdom (768), annexed the remainder on his brother Carloman's death (771), and built a large empire. He invaded Italy twice and took the…
| 170 words
Key concepts:
This illustration, published in 1851, depicts...
Also known as: Charles the Great (b. ca. 742–d. 814) king of the Franks, 768–814; emperor of the West, 800–814 Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, was born the eldest son of Pepin the Short, king of the Franks (751–768), and his wife, Bertrada of Laon. Upon his father's death the Frankish kingdom was…
| 1,199 words , 1 image
Key concepts:

Full text Article Charlemagne

From Gale Biographies: Popular People
Charlemagne (742-814), or Charles the Great, was king of the Franks, 768-814, and emperor of the West, 800-814. He founded the Holy Roman Empire, stimulated European economic and political life, and fostered the cultural revival known as the Carolingian Renaissance. In contrast to the general…
| 2,364 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Charlemagne

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(Charles the Great or Charles I)(shär'lӘmān) [O.Fr.,=Charles the great], 742?–814, emperor of the West (800–814), Carolingian king of the Franks (768–814). Elder son of Pepin the Short and a grandson of Charles Martel , Charlemagne shared with his brother Carloman in the succession to his father's…
| 907 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Charlemagne

From Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature
Also known as: Charles I; Charles the Great One of the most important figures of the medieval world, Charlemagne was king of the Franks and ultimately emperor of the West. Renowned for his military strength, which enabled him to expand his empire from the North Sea to the Pyrenees, Charlemagne's…
| 904 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Charlemagne

From Encyclopedia of World Religions: Encyclopedia of Catholicism
This illustration, published in 1851, depicts...
Also known as: Charles the Great (b. ca. 742–d. 814) king of the Franks, 768–814; emperor of the West, 800–814 Latin: Carolus , “Charles” + magnus , “the great.” Charlemagne was the founder and first emperor of what later came to be called the Holy Roman Empire. He united much of western Europe…
| 453 words , 1 image
Key concepts:
Charlemagne, depicted in a painting (c. 1512) by...
(born April 2, 747?—died Jan. 28, 814, Aachen, Austrasia [now in Germany]) Charlemagne (also known as Charles I, Charles the Great, Charles le Grand, Carolus Magnus, and Karl der Grosse) was king of the Franks (768–814), king of the Lombards (774–814), and emperor (800–814). Life and Reign Around…
| 2,891 words , 1 image
Key concepts:

Full text Article Charlemagne

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(born April 2, 747?—died Jan. 28, 814, Aachen, Austrasia) King of the Franks (768–814) and emperor (800–14). The elder son of the Frankish king Pippin III (the Short), he ruled the Frankish kingdom jointly with his brother Carloman until the latter’s death in 771. He then became sole king of the…
| 323 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Charlemagne, Charles I the Great

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
King of the Franks from 768 and Holy Roman Emperor from 800. By inheritance (his father was Pepin the Short ) and extensive campaigns of conquest, he united most of Western Europe by 804, when after 30 years of war the Saxons came under his control. Pepin had been mayor of the palace in Merovingian…
| 559 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Charlemagne ("Charles the Great")

From Chambers Biographical Dictionary
Latin Carolus Magnus 747-814 King of the Franks and Christian Emperor of the West Charlemagne was the grandson of Charles Martel and the eldest son of Pepin III, the Short . On Pepin's death in 768 the Frankish kingdom was divided between Charlemagne and his younger brother Carloman ; three years…
| 662 words
Key concepts:
Mind Map

Stack overflow
More Library Resources