Background: Charlemagne and the Carolingian Empire,
Charles the Great or Charlemagne (748-814 AD/CE) held many titles including King of the Franks and King of the Lombards. In his Carolingian Empire we see the full blending of Germanic (specifically: Frankish), Roman, and Christian cultures which characterized the Early Medieval Period in Western Europe. He conquered and forcibly converted many peoples to Christianity including the Saxons. He oversaw a period of cultural revival known as the Carolingian Renaissance and was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day 800 C.E.
6 Assigned Primary Sources
1. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/carol-saxony.asp
2. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/einhard-wars1.asp
3. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/carol-missi1.asp
4. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/carol-missi2.asp
5. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/carol-sum1.asp
6. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/einhard1.asp
Analytical responses: after reading the six (6) short assigned primary sources, students should
answer any three (3) of the following six (6) questions. Each response should consist of a fully-developed paragraph that demonstrates critical understanding of the sources through analysis,
including quoting parts of the provided texts to illustrate/prove important claims.
Q1) In what ways can Charlemagne be said to have presented himself and lived primarily as: A)
a Frank (i.e. a German), B) a Roman, C) a Christian? In your considered opinion which of these
three competing identities was strongest, and why?
Q2) How do Charlemagne and Einhard justify the Franks conquest and treatment of the
(Pagan) Saxons and (Christian) Lombards both of whom were fellow Germanic peoples?
Q3) According to the provided sources, would Charlemagnes rule be best described as that of
an Emperor (like Roman Emperors: e.g. Augustus, Tiberius, Vespasian, Hadrian etc.) or a
Germanic Warlord (like earlier Frankish Kings: e.g. Clovis I)?
Q4) According to the provided primary sources, are the people and lords of Charlemagnes
Carolingian Empire required to be loyal primarily to that Empire (the institution) or the Emperor
Charlemagne himself (the individual)?
Q5) i) Compare and contrast the image of Charlemagne as a mortal human in Einhards Life of
Charlemagne to his role as a conqueror and ruler emphasized in the other sources. ii) What
surprised you most about Charlemagne the man, or the everyday life and norms (behaviors) at
the Carolingian court (as described by Einhard)?
Q6) Summarize Charlemagnes understanding of his role in bringing true Christian practice to
the Germanic world (which had previously been dominated by the Arian heresy and Paganism).