query: when did einhard write the life of charlemagne

pos: Einhard life and character, written sometime between 817 and 830. In composing this he relied heavily upon the Royal Frankish Annals. Einhard's literary model was the classical work of the Roman historian Suetonius, the "Lives of the Caesars", though it is important to stress that the work is very much Einhard's own, that is to say he adapts the models and sources for his own purposes. His work was written as a praise of Charlemagne, whom he regarded as a foster-father ("nutritor") and to whom he was a debtor "in life and death". The work thus contains an understandable degree of

pos: Einhard life and character, written sometime between 817 and 830. In composing this he relied heavily upon the Royal Frankish Annals. Einhard's literary model was the classical work of the Roman historian Suetonius, the "Lives of the Caesars", though it is important to stress that the work is very much Einhard's own, that is to say he adapts the models and sources for his own purposes. His work was written as a praise of Charlemagne, whom he regarded as a foster-father ("nutritor") and to whom he was a debtor "in life and death". The work thus contains an understandable degree of

neg: Charlemagne his inability to write: when in his old age he attempted to learn—practising the formation of letters in his bed during his free time on books and wax tablets he hid under his pillow—"his effort came too late in life and achieved little success", and his ability to read—which Einhard is silent about, and which no contemporary source supports—has also been called into question. In 800, Charlemagne enlarged the hostel at the Muristan in Jerusalem and added a library to it. He certainly had not been personally in Jerusalem. Unlike his father, Pippin, and uncle, Carloman, Charlemagne expanded the reform

neg: Charlemagne Lombard; Italians Peter of Pisa and Paulinus of Aquileia; and Franks Angilbert, Angilram, Einhard and Waldo of Reichenau. Charlemagne promoted the liberal arts at court, ordering that his children and grandchildren be well-educated, and even studying himself (in a time when even leaders who promoted education did not take time to learn themselves) under the tutelage of Peter of Pisa, from whom he learned grammar; Alcuin, with whom he studied rhetoric, dialectic (logic), and astronomy (he was particularly interested in the movements of the stars); and Einhard, who tutored him in arithmetic. His great scholarly failure, as Einhard relates, was

neg: Einhard name "Seligenstadt" by folk etymology. Einhard and his wife were originally buried in one sarcophagus in the choir of the church in Seligenstadt, but in 1810 the sarcophagus was presented by the Grand Duke of Hesse to the count of Erbach, who claims descent from Einhard as the husband of Imma, the reputed daughter of Charlemagne. The count put it in the famous chapel of his castle at Erbach in the Odenwald. The most famous of Einhard's works is his biography of Charlemagne, the "Vita Karoli Magni", "The Life of Charlemagne" (c. 817–836), which provides much direct information about Charlemagne's

neg: De litteris colendis well-educated and studied under Peter of Pisa, Alcuin of York, and Einhard. Charlemagne’s greatest weakness however, according to Einhard was his inability to write. Even his ability to read has been called into question. This letter was presumably written by Alcuin of York, not by Charlemagne himself. Alcuin was Charlemagne’s teacher for rhetoric, logic, and astronomy. Alcuin wrote several theological and philosophical treatises. Alcuin, the director of the palace school at Aachen at the time, was encouraged by Charlemagne to introduce Carolingian minuscule, a script to standardize the Latin alphabet to be recognized by literate classes from one region to

neg: Einhard lands. Perhaps due to his small stature, which restricted his riding and sword-fighting ability, Einhard concentrated his energies on scholarship, especially the mastering of Latin. He was accepted into the hugely wealthy court of Charlemagne around 791 or 792. Charlemagne actively sought to amass scholarly men around him and established a royal school led by the Northumbrian scholar Alcuin. Einhard evidently was a talented builder and construction manager, because Charlemagne put him in charge of the completion of several palace complexes including Aachen and Ingelheim. Despite the fact that Einhard was on intimate terms with Charlemagne, he never achieved office

neg: Gersuinda 'for Charlemagne's own attempts to order his family and his Empire in the last years of his life' and studying the interaction between his successor Louis the Pious and the women of the court. Einhard claims that Charlemagne intended to revise his will in order to ensure that his children by his concubines (such as Adaltrude) would be provided for, but that he never did so subsequently. However, an anonymous ex-courtier of Louis, known as the Astronomer (writing in the 840s), implies that Charlemagne's illegitimate children were also beneficiaries. Einhard makes no mention of any provision for his concubines. The

neg: Einhard the missing "Libellus de adoranda cruce", which Einhard had dedicated to his pupil Lupus Servatus. Einhard Einhard (also Eginhard or Einhart; ; 775 – March 14, 840 AD) was a Frankish scholar and courtier. Einhard was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne and his son Louis the Pious; his main work is a biography of Charlemagne, the "Vita Karoli Magni", "one of the most precious literary bequests of the early Middle Ages." Einhard was from the eastern German-speaking part of the Frankish Kingdom. Born into a family of landowners of some importance, his parents sent him to be educated by the

neg: Einhard bias, Einhard taking care to exculpate Charlemagne in some matters, not mention others, and to gloss over certain issues which would be of embarrassment to Charlemagne, such as the morality of his daughters; by contrast, other issues are curiously not glossed over, like his concubines. Einhard is also responsible for three other extant works: a collection of letters, "On the Translations and the Miracles of SS. Marcellinus and Petrus", and "On the Adoration of the Cross". The latter dates from ca. 830 and was not rediscovered until 1885, when Ernst Dümmler identified a text in a manuscript in Vienna as

neg: Einhard Einhard Einhard (also Eginhard or Einhart; ; 775 – March 14, 840 AD) was a Frankish scholar and courtier. Einhard was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne and his son Louis the Pious; his main work is a biography of Charlemagne, the "Vita Karoli Magni", "one of the most precious literary bequests of the early Middle Ages." Einhard was from the eastern German-speaking part of the Frankish Kingdom. Born into a family of landowners of some importance, his parents sent him to be educated by the monks of Fulda - one of the most impressive centers of learning in the Frank

neg: Testament of Charlemagne Of course, the division of the empire among his sons is well documented. Turner, Samuel Epes (Translator), "Einhard: The Life of Charlemagne", Harper & Brothers, New York, 1880, reprinted by the University of Michigan Press in 1960 with a copyrighted forward by Sidney Painter Thorpe, Lewis G. M., "Two Lives of Charlemagne", Penguin, 1969 Testament of Charlemagne The Testament of Charlemagne was documented and witnessed in 811, the 43rd year of his reign. Charlemagne had intended to make a last will and testament in order to share his wealth with his daughters and the children of his concubines (his sons

neg: Charlemagne, le prince à cheval before dying on 7 September 2010 and based primarily on the contemporary biography of Charlemagne written by Einhard, who knew Charlemagne personally. Charlemagne, le prince à cheval Charlemagne, le prince à cheval is a 1993 television miniseries about the life of Charlemagne. It consists of five episodes and covers the period from the death of his father, Pepin the Short in AD 768 until Charlemagne's corronation as the first Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day, AD 800. However, there is a minor chronological anachronism: in an earlier episode, we see Widukind, the king of the Saxons surrender and convert to

neg: Gersuinda details of Gersuinda's subsequent life and date of death are unknown. Gersuinda Gersuinda (also Gersvinda, Gervinda; died after 800). Gersuinda was a concubine of the emperor Charlemagne, with whom he was in a relationship after the death of his last legitimate wife, Luitgard (died June 4, 800). According to Charlemagne's contemporary biographer, Einhard, Gersuinda was a Saxon, a people whom Charlemagne subdued over a thirty year period. Gersuinda was one of four concubines of Charlemagne in the period after Luitgard's death, the others being Regina, Adallinda and Madelgard. Luitgard was praised lavishly after her death, but Gersuinda and the other

neg: Veleti and separated by large strips of woodlands. Also, the Veletian king Dragowit had been defeated and made a vassal by Charlemagne in the only expedition into Slavic territory led by Charlemagne himself, in 798, making the central Veletian rule collapse. The Veleti were invaded by the Franks during their continuous expeditions into Obodrite lands, with the Obodrites being allies of the Franks against the Saxons. Einhard made these claims in "Vita Karoli Magni" ("Life of Charles the Great"), a biography of Charlemagne, King of the Franks. After the 10th century, the Veleti disappeared from written records, and were replaced by

neg: Gisela, Abbess of Chelles Einhard she had good relations with her brother Charlemagne, who "treated her with the same respect which he showed his mother." She died in 810 at the convent she had served for most of her life. Alcuin was a close friend. He dedicated the last two books of his commentary on John's gospel to her and her niece, Rotrudis. Charlemagne and his wife Hildegard also named a daughter Gisela. Gisela the Younger lived from about 781 to after at least 808, but little else is known of her life. Gisela, Abbess of Chelles Gisela (757–810) was the daughter of Pepin

neg: Charlemagne the rights he had held. Bavaria was subdivided into Frankish counties, as had been done with Saxony. In 788, the Avars, an Asian nomadic group that had settled down in what is today Hungary (Einhard called them Huns), invaded Friuli and Bavaria. Charlemagne was preoccupied with other matters until 790 when he marched down the Danube and ravaged Avar territory to the Győr. A Lombard army under Pippin then marched into the Drava valley and ravaged Pannonia. The campaigns ended when the Saxons revolted again in 792. For the next two years, Charlemagne was occupied, along with the Slavs, against

neg: Charlemagne his time was . The width of the bone suggested he was gracile in body build. Charlemagne wore the traditional costume of the Frankish people, described by Einhard thus: He wore a blue cloak and always carried a sword typically of a golden or silver hilt. He wore fancy jewelled swords to banquets or ambassadorial receptions. Nevertheless: On great feast days, he wore embroidery and jewels on his clothing and shoes. He had a golden buckle for his cloak on such occasions and would appear with his great diadem, but he despised such apparel, according to Einhard and usually dressed

neg: Charlemagne when Charlemagne knelt at the altar to pray, the Pope crowned him "Imperator Romanorum" ("Emperor of the Romans") in Saint Peter's Basilica. In so doing, the Pope effectively nullified the legitimacy of Empress Irene of Constantinople:Charlemagne's coronation as Emperor, though intended to represent the continuation of the unbroken line of Emperors from Augustus to Constantine VI, had the effect of setting up two separate (and often opposing) Empires and two separate claims to imperial authority. For centuries to come, the Emperors of both West and East would make competing claims of sovereignty over the whole. Einhard says that Charlemagne was

neg: Annales laureshamenses empire both before and after 800 shows little support for the pope's initiative. What Einhard shows Charlemagne objecting to is the Roman imperial title, not necessarily equality with the Byzantine emperors; thus the emphasis the "Annales laureshamenses" place on justifying the "name of the emperor". In the Lorsch annals, the year 802 ends with the arrival of the elephant Abul-Abbas at Charlemagne's court. The year 803 is recounted briefly: Charlemagne held Easter at Aachen, held an assembly at Mainz, and did not go on campaign all year. And there the annals end. Annales laureshamenses The Annales laureshamenses or Annals of

neg: Arechis II of Benevento name and title alongside those of Arechis. The inclusion of titles on coins and in charters was considered an important marker of political authority. However, Einhard overstates Charlemagne's success. Frankish influence in Benevento proved to be very short-lived. In 788, both Grimoald's elder brother, Romuald, and Arechis himself died. Grimoald III, who was being held hostage by Charlemagne, succeeded as prince of Benevento. Unwisely, Charlemagne released Grimoald in return for an oath of loyalty. Grimoald did not keep his promise; by c. 791, he had effectively proclaimed himself independent and successfully resisted the Franks. Grimoald later tried to throw off

neg: Pepin the Hunchback conspirators" and so hopes to maintain the cohesion of the family unit in his portrayal of Charlemagne and his offspring. Finally, Hammer points out that no historian we have record of prior to Einhard called Pepin "the Hunchback"—Presumably, this slander was another aspect of Einhard's attempt to spare the family." A third, and differing account of Pepin's life comes from Notker the Stammerer, a Benedictine monk writing during the reign of Charles the Fat, the great-grandson of Charlemagne. Notker's account, referred to by modern scholars as the "Gesta Caroli Magni" ("The Deeds of Charles the Great") or "De Carolo Magno"

neg: Pepin the Hunchback bastard son Pippin the Hunchback especially distressed him," no doubt as a result of their kinship. Nonetheless, punishment was still necessary, so Pepin was tonsured and took up the habit of monkhood. As Einhard describes, "When his [Pepin's] deceit was discovered and the conspirators were punished, his head was shaved, and he was suffered, in accordance with his wishes, to devote himself to a religious life in the monastery of Prüm." In his book "Charlemagne: Empire and Society", historian Stewart Airlie points out a possible upshot of Pepin's revolt (from Charles' point of view). He suggests that "Pippin's conspiracy was

neg: Candidus of Fulda Candidus of Fulda Candidus (Bruun) of Fulda was a Benedictine scholar of the ninth-century Carolingian Renaissance, a student of Einhard, and author of the "vita" of his abbot at Fulda, Eigil. He received his first instruction from the learned Eigil, Abbot of Fulda, 818-822. Abbot Ratgar (802-817) sent the gifted scholar to Einhard at the court of Charlemagne, where he most probably learned the art he employed later in decorating with pictures the western apse of St. Salvator, the so-called "Ratgerbasilica", to which, in 819, the remains of Saint Boniface were transferred. When Rabanus Maurus was made abbot (822), Candidus

neg: Visio Karoli Magni dream, the emperor was approached by one bearing a sword. When asked about his identity the swordbearer only warned the emperor to heed the words engraved ("litteris exarata") on the blade of the sword, for they were a prophecy that would come true. There were four words, seemingly of Germanic origin, engraved on the blade, from the hilt to the tip they were: , , , and . Charlemagne immediately recorded all of it on his tablets. The next morning Charlemagne was discussing the dream with his befuddled advisors when one of them, "wiser than the others", Einhard, in fact

neg: Charlemagne Einhard tells in his twenty-fourth chapter: Charlemagne threw grand banquets and feasts for special occasions such as religious holidays and four of his weddings. When he was not working, he loved Christian books, horseback riding, swimming, bathing in natural hot springs with his friends and family, and hunting. Franks were well known for horsemanship and hunting skills. Charles was a light sleeper and would stay in his bed chambers for entire days at a time due to restless nights. During these days, he would not get out of bed when a quarrel occurred in his kingdom, instead summoning all members

neg: Charlemagne Charlemagne's personal appearance is known from a good description by Einhard after his death in the biography "Vita Karoli Magni". Einhard states: The physical portrait provided by Einhard is confirmed by contemporary depictions such as coins and his bronze statuette kept in the Louvre. In 1861, Charlemagne's tomb was opened by scientists who reconstructed his skeleton and estimated it to be measured . An estimate of his height from an X-ray and CT scan of his tibia performed in 2010 is . This puts him in the 99th percentile of height for his period, given that average male height of

neg: Einhard be miracle workers. Although unsure as to why these saints should choose such a "sinner" as their patron, Einhard nonetheless set about ensuring they continued to receive a resting place fitting of their honour. Between 831 and 834 he founded a Benedictine Monastery and, after the death of his wife, served as its Abbot until his own death in 840. Local lore from Seligenstadt portrays Einhard as the lover of Emma, one of Charlemagne's daughters, and has the couple elope from court. Charlemagne found them at Seligenstadt (then called Obermühlheim) and forgave them. This account is used to explain the

neg: Marcellinus and Peter Ambrosian liturgy. Their names are mentioned in the Roman Canon. In 1253 Pope Alexander IV translated their relics to an ancient church (its presence was first mentioned in 595 AD) near the present-day Via Merulana that was named after them: Santi Marcellino e Pietro. Relics associated with Marcellinus and Peter were translated to Seligenstadt in Germany in the 9th century. They were sent by Pope Gregory IV to Einhard, secretary to Charlemagne. Einhard translated the relics to Strasburg, and then to Michlenstad (Michelstadt); and afterwards to Malinheim or Mulinheim (later called Seligenstadt). In 829, Einhard built a church in honor

neg: Vita Karoli Magni improve their subject. Einhard's biography, however, is considered, for the most part, to be a trustworthy account of Charlemagne's life. It is considered an excellent account of earlier Medieval life. Despite Einhard's limitations, since it was his first attempt at a major writing, the British historian Thomas Hodgkin said, "almost all our real, vivifying knowledge of Charles the Great is derived from Einhard, and that the "Vita Karoli Magni" is one of the most precious literary bequests of the early Middle Ages." Vita Karoli Magni Vita Karoli Magni ("Life of Charles the Great") is a biography of Charlemagne, King of

neg: Testament of Charlemagne Testament of Charlemagne The Testament of Charlemagne was documented and witnessed in 811, the 43rd year of his reign. Charlemagne had intended to make a last will and testament in order to share his wealth with his daughters and the children of his concubines (his sons mostly inheriting parts of his kingdom). Unfortunately, it was begun too late and was not finished before his death in 814. Nevertheless, three years prior, he made a division of his possessions, ratified in the presence of the faithful who were called upon as witnesses. The text of this testament is quoted from Einhard

neg: Charlemagne Charlemagne had a sustained impact on European culture. The author of the "Visio Karoli Magni" written around 865 uses facts gathered apparently from Einhard and his own observations on the decline of Charlemagne's family after the dissensions war (840–43) as the basis for a visionary tale of Charles' meeting with a prophetic spectre in a dream. Charlemagne was a model knight as one of the Nine Worthies who enjoyed an important legacy in European culture. One of the great medieval literary cycles, the Charlemagne cycle or the "Matter of France", centres on his deeds—the Emperor with the Flowing Beard of

neg: Hunald II small retinue to Mornac, where he arrived by late May, and from there to Angoulême. According to Einhard, Charlemagne was pursuing Hunald but could not bring him to battle because the latter knew the region better. At Angoulême, Charlemagne began raising a larger army. It marched out in July towards the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne rivers, the latter forming the border between Aquitaine and Gascony. Near the confluence of the rivers, Charlemagne constructed a fortress that became known as "that of the Franks", "Franciacum" (today Fronsac). Since Hunald had again fled to Gascony, Charlemagne sent envoys to Duke

neg: Bertrada of Laon 754, and Bertrada, Charlemagne, and Carloman were blessed by Pope Stephen II. After Pepin's death in 768, Bertrada lost her title as Queen of the Franks. Charlemagne and Carloman inherited the two halves of Pepin's kingdom. Bertrada stayed at the court and often tried to stop arguments between the two brothers. Some historians credit Bertrada's support for her elder son Charlemagne over her younger son Carloman, and her diplomatic skills, for Charlemagne's early success. Although her influence over Charlemagne may have diminished in time, she lived at his court, and, according to Einhard, their relationship was excellent. Bertrada recommended that

neg: Bertrada of Laon Charlemagne set aside his legal wife, Himiltrude, and marry Desiderata, a daughter of the Lombard king Desiderius, but Charlemagne soon divorced Desiderata. Einhard claims this was the only episode that ever strained relations between mother and son. Bertrada retired from the court after Carloman's death in 771 to live in Choisy-au-Bac, where Charlemagne had set aside a royal house for her. Choisy-au-Bac was favorable because of its history of being the home and burial place of several Merovingian kings. Bertrada died on 12 July 783 in Choisy-au-Bac. Charlemagne buried her in the Basilica of St Denis near Pepin. Bertrada inspired

neg: Medieval household discarded to the benefit of palaces or stately homes, this tendency was reinforced. This did not mean an end to the employment of domestic servants, or even in all cases a reduction in household staff. What it did mean, however, was a realignment whereby the family – in a genealogical sense – became the cornerstone of the household. a. The chronicler Einhard sardonically wrote: "Pepin the Short, the father of Charlemagne, held the office for some years, under, if that is the word, King Childeric III..." b. It should be mentioned that many – if not most – of these

neg: Charlemagne of Charlemagne, Christian Saxons and Slavs quickly crushed it. The last insurrection occurred in 804, more than thirty years after Charlemagne's first campaign against them, but also failed. According to Einhard: By 774, Charlemagne had invaded the Kingdom of Lombardy, and he later annexed the Lombardian territories and assumed its crown, placing the Papal States under Frankish protection. The Duchy of Spoleto south of Rome was acquired in 774, while in the central western parts of Europe, the Duchy of Bavaria was absorbed and the Bavarian policy continued of establishing tributary marches, (borders protected in return for tribute or taxes)

neg: Massacre of Verden official "rehabilitation" by Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels, after which Charlemagne was officially presented in a positive manner in Nazi Germany. An entry for the year 782 in the first version of the "Royal Frankish Annals" ("Annales Regni Francorum") records a Saxon rebellion, followed by a Frankish victory in the battle of the Süntel before Charlemagne arrived and put down the rebellion. Charlemagne ordered the execution of 4,500 Saxons near the confluence of the Aller and the Weser, in what is now Verden. Regarding the massacre, the entry reads: The "Annales qui dicuntur Einhardi" (Annals of Einhard), which are a

neg: Gersuinda Gersuinda Gersuinda (also Gersvinda, Gervinda; died after 800). Gersuinda was a concubine of the emperor Charlemagne, with whom he was in a relationship after the death of his last legitimate wife, Luitgard (died June 4, 800). According to Charlemagne's contemporary biographer, Einhard, Gersuinda was a Saxon, a people whom Charlemagne subdued over a thirty year period. Gersuinda was one of four concubines of Charlemagne in the period after Luitgard's death, the others being Regina, Adallinda and Madelgard. Luitgard was praised lavishly after her death, but Gersuinda and the other concubines were apparently less popular among the clerical circles that surrounded

neg: Hunald II provinces of the Frankish realm had been divided on Pippin's death between his sons Charlemagne and Carloman. The province of Aquitaine was itself divided between them. In any case, it was under complete Frankish control at Pippin's death. Word of Hunald's revolt probably reached Charlemagne at Rouen in March or April 769. According to his biographer, Einhard, so concerned was he that he "went so far as to ask his brother for help". He informed Carloman and arranging a meeting at Moncontour, where Carloman refused to participate in or provide troops for an attack on Aquitaine. Charlemagne then marched his

neg: Irene of Athens a woman unfit to be Emperor. However, Charlemagne made no claim to the Eastern Roman Empire. Whether he actually desired a coronation at all, remains controversial - his biographer Einhard related that Charlemagne had been surprised by the Pope - but the Eastern Empire felt its role as the sole Roman Empire threatened and began to emphasize its superiority and its Roman identity. Relations between the two Empires remained difficult. Irene is said to have endeavoured a marriage alliance between herself and Charlemagne, but according to Theophanes the Confessor, who alone mentions it, the scheme was frustrated by Aetios, one

neg: Equestrian statuette of Charlemagne and a riding cloak fastened with a fibula. It was most likely made around 870, i.e. during the reign of Charles the Bald. Carolingian metalwork continues the Gallo-Roman tradition of casting and takes as its templates the equestrian bronzes of the Roman imperial period, such as the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius or the Regisole of Pavia. The features of the rider agree with depictions on Charlemagne on coins as well as with the description by Einhard in his "Vita Karoli Magni", and the statuette is usually referred to as the "statuette of Charlemagne", but it is possible that the

neg: Charlemagne united Europe remain topical to the current time and hence Charlemagne is often considered the forefather of modern Europe. The most likely date of Charlemagne's birth is reconstructed from several sources. The date of 742—calculated from Einhard's date of death of January 814 at age 72—predates the marriage of his parents in 744. The year given in the "Annales Petaviani", 747, would be more likely, except that it contradicts Einhard and a few other sources in making Charlemagne sixty-seven years old at his death. The month and day of 2 April are based on a calendar from Lorsch Abbey. In

neg: Gerberga, wife of Carloman I as regent; instead, Charlemagne seized his brother's territory, and Gerberga fled Francia with her sons and Carloman's chief advisor, Autchar. Charlemagne's biographer, Einhard, claimed she fled "for no reason at all". In Lombardy, Gerberga and her companions were given refuge by King Desiderius at Pavia. Desiderius and Carloman had been enemies during the latter's reign, due to the alliance between Desiderius and Charlemagne, with whom Carloman had lived in a state of hostility. Desiderius, however, had been alienated from Charlemagne by the latter's repudiation of Desiderius' daughter, Desiderata, shortly before, and now moved in support of Carloman's family. He made

neg: Vita Karoli Magni frontrunner, and it is likely that debate will continue. Einhard's book is about intimate glimpses of Charlemagne's personal habits and tastes. He occupied a favoured position at Charlemagne's court so he had inside information. Einhard received advanced schooling at the monastery of Fulda sometime after 779. He was an exceptional student and was quite knowledgeable. The word was sent to Charlemagne of Einhard's expertise. He was then sent to Charlemagne’s Palace School at Aachen in 791. Einhard then received employment at Charlemagne's Frankish court about 796. He remained at this position for twenty some years. Einhard's book was expressly intended

neg: Peter of Pisa Charlemagne. Paul the Deacon, Theodulf, Alcuin, Waldo of Reichenau, amongst others, joined Peter of Pisa at the emperor’s side. Peter was formerly at the court of Desiderius. However, the famous names did not stay at Charlemagne’s court for a long period of time, and their relatively brief cohesiveness was the result of shared scholarly culture. Paulinus and Paul the Deacon were the first to leave no later than 790. According to the emperor’s biographer, Einhard, Peter of Pisa was Charlemagne’s Latin grammar instructor. Peter’s grammars largely incorporate the Insular Elementary style, while at the same time including distinct Carolingian aspects.

neg: Carloman I and for herself to rule as his regent; however, Carloman's former supporters – his cousin Adalhard, Abbot Fulrad of Saint Denis and Count Warin – turned against her, and invited Charlemagne to annex Carloman's territory, which he duly did. Gerberga then fled (according to Einhard, "for no reason at all") with her sons and Count Autchar, one of Carloman's faithful nobles, to the court of Desiderius, who demanded of the new Pope Hadrian I that he anoint Carloman's sons as Kings of the Franks. Gerberga's flight ultimately precipitated Charlemagne's destruction of the Kingdom of the Lombards; he responded to Desiderius'

neg: Charlemagne of the situation into his bedroom to be given orders. Einhard tells again in the twenty-fourth chapter: "In summer after the midday meal, he would eat some fruit, drain a single cup, put off his clothes and shoes, just as he did for the night, and rest for two or three hours. He was in the habit of awaking and rising from bed four or five times during the night." By Charlemagne's time, the French vernacular had already diverged significantly from Latin. This is evidenced by one of the regulations of the Council of Tours (813), which required that parish

neg: Vita Karoli Magni Vita Karoli Magni Vita Karoli Magni ("Life of Charles the Great") is a biography of Charlemagne, King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, written by Einhard. Historians have traditionally described the work as the first example of a biography of a European king. The author tried to imitate the style of that of the ancient Roman biographer Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, who is most famous for his "Lives of the Caesars". Einhard's biography used especially the model of the biography of Emperor Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. The date of the work is uncertain, and a number

neg: Candidus of Fulda Capitolare, Cod. 1, f. 66v; Bamberg State Library, Msc.Lit.1, fol. 165v). "This article incorporates text from the 1913 "Catholic Encyclopedia" article "Candidus" by John M. Lenhart, a publication now in the public domain. Some corrections and additions are made by Gereon Becht-Jördens." Candidus of Fulda Candidus (Bruun) of Fulda was a Benedictine scholar of the ninth-century Carolingian Renaissance, a student of Einhard, and author of the "vita" of his abbot at Fulda, Eigil. He received his first instruction from the learned Eigil, Abbot of Fulda, 818-822. Abbot Ratgar (802-817) sent the gifted scholar to Einhard at the court of Charlemagne,

neg: Biography from this period is the life of Charlemagne by his courtier Einhard. In Medieval Islamic Civilization (c. AD 750 to 1258), similar traditional Muslim biographies of Muhammad and other important figures in the early history of Islam began to be written, beginning the Prophetic biography tradition. Early biographical dictionaries were published as compendia of famous Islamic personalities from the 9th century onwards. They contained more social data for a large segment of the population than other works of that period. The earliest biographical dictionaries initially focused on the lives of the prophets of Islam and their companions, with one of

neg: Pepin the Hunchback Frankish monks during the life of Charlemagne. The annals provide one of the best early accounts of Pepin's revolt: The Royal Frankish Annals (Latin: "Annales regni Francorum") provide another foundational annalistic source for the study of Pepin. Although they were probably compiled in Charlemagne's court, a later writer revised them after the emperor's death, which might impact the way in which the annals cover Pepin. Einhard, a scholar at Charlemagne's court and one of the king's most important early biographers, provides only a glancing mention of Pepin. Initially, he makes no mention of Pepin or Himilitrude in his list of

neg: Pepin the Hunchback words" and puts the rebellious nobles to death. As a reward for his good counsel, Charles allows Pepin to choose "the manner of life that most pleased him" and Pepin asks to move to the monastery of Prüm. The "Poeta Saxo", an anonymous Saxon poet who composed the "Annales de gestis Caroli magni imperatoris libri quinque" ("Annals of the Deeds of Emperor Charlemagne in Five Books") near the end of the 9th century, relies heavily on classical models and existing sources like Einhard and the Royal Frankish Annals. Generally, he offers an interesting literary restatement of the older vitae and

neg: Vita Hludovici the court of Louis the Pious, and his cultural and religious references suggest that he was not a churchman. It has been conjectured, based on evidence within the text, that the author was born around AD 800 and that his nationality was not Gothic or Frankish. The author's attitude to his subject is clearly subordinate and one of admiration, yet he does not idealise Louis in the same way as, for example, Einhard does in his Life of Charlemagne. It has been suggested that the author exhibits a degree of disapproval towards clerics and the workings of the Frankish Church,

neg: Pepin the Hunchback "concubine", and he does not list him among Charlemagne's legitimate offspring. Although it is possible that Pepin was born to a now-forgotten concubine, Einhard is probably referring to Himiltrude—the first child-bearing partner of Charlemagne, about whom little is now known. However, Einhard and most other Carolingian historians worked in the courts of Charlemagne's successors, and had a vested interest in undermining the legitimacy of the claims of other potential royal lines. These writers may have maligned Charles' union to Himiltrude after the fact, in order to lend a "post facto" justification to Pepin's later disinheritance. It is possible that the

neg: Battle of Roncevaux Pass Aquitaine. The accounts of Einhard and Pierre de Marca suggest that the perpetrator of the attack was Lupo II of Gascony. He held the territory of the Pyrenees, making him responsible for the tragedy that happened in his realm. Regions surrounding his kingdom such as Bordeaux were under the control of the Carolingians. While the Duke did pay homage to Charlemagne by offering Hunald II (a rebel leader and a possible heir to Waiofar) and his wife to him, there were disputes over the trans-Pyrenean Basques lands ruled by Lupo and those under Carolingian suzerainty. The authors of the General

neg: History of Christianity in the Czech Lands valley in Bohemia. Charlemagne's biographer Einhard lists the "Bohemians" among the peoples with whom Charlemagne "had armed conflict." The heads or "duces" of the Bohemian tribes agreed to pay tribute to the emperor in 805 and 806. Bohemian and Moravian emissaries participated at the Diet of Frankfurt in the Carolingian Empire in 822. The earliest Christian missionaries came to Moravia from the dioceses of Passau, Regensburg, and Salzburg. The Frankish aristocrats' way of life attracted the Moravian and Bohemian leaders who identified it with Christianity. The adoption of the new faith was initially the personal decision of individual aristocrats. Czech

neg: The Twelve Caesars the beginning of the period of the so-called Five Good Emperors. "The Twelve Caesars" served as a model for the biographies of 2nd- and early 3rd-century emperors compiled by Marius Maximus. This collection, apparently entitled "Caesares", does not survive, but it was a source for a later biographical collection, known as "Historia Augusta", which now forms a kind of sequel to Suetonius' work. The "Historia Augusta" is a collective biography, partly fictionalized, of Roman emperors and usurpers of the second and third centuries. In the ninth-century Einhard modelled himself on Suetonius in writing the "Life of Charlemagne", even borrowing phrases

neg: Pepin the Hunchback and "check the abuses of local counts." He instructed the nobility to take a new oath of loyalty to him as king: "I, [the oath-taker], promise that in relation to my lord King Charles and his sons I am faithful and I shall be so for all of my life without treachery or evil intentions." This increased presence of central authority might have chafed the aristocracy, opening the door for a palace coup directed against Charlemagne. Additionally, both the Royal Frankish Annals and Einhard cite Charles' then-current wife Fastrada, who seems to have been poorly received by many members of

neg: Grandes Chroniques de France miniature by Simon Marmion in Philip's copy. Sources for material on the reign of Charlemagne included the "Historia Caroli Magni", also known as the "Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle" and the "Vita Karoli Magni" by Einhard. Other sources included Abbot Suger's "Life of Louis IV". The earliest surviving copy was presented by the monks of St-Denis to Philip III in about 1274, with 36 miniatures (many with multiple scenes) and historiated initials by Parisian artists. These were mostly derived from other manuscript sources, but ingeniously focused into a coherent programme of illustration reflecting the points the abbey wished the king to absorb, regarding

neg: Carolingian Schools with honour, and one of them placed at the head of the palace school. The story, however, is not accepted as reliable. We know for certain that after Alcuin left the court of Charlemagne, Clement the Irishman succeeded him as master of the palace school, and that he had pupils sent to him even from the monastery of Fulda. The grammarian Cruindmelus, the poet Dungal of Bobbio and Bishop Donatus of Fiesole were among the many Irish teachers on the Continent who enjoyed the favour of Charlemagne. Indeed, the emperor, according to Einhard, "loved the strangers" and "had the Irish

neg: Pepin the Hunchback annals, but little new history. Not surprisingly, many modern historians dismiss the historical accuracy of Notker the Stammerer's account. However, some recent scholars argue that Notker offers a valuable early "literary" account of Pepin. Historian David Ganz suggests in his Introduction to Notker's work that De Carolo Magno "can be seen as an attempt to provide a revision of Einhard's text, with a proper emphasis, lacking in Einhard, on Charlemagne as Christian ruler and a part of the divine plan for salvation". Professor Lewis Thorpe suggests, "the Charlemagne of the Monk of Saint Gall seems to live before our eyes

neg: Ghent brought their language with them and Celtic and Latin were replaced by Old Dutch. Around 650, Saint Amand founded two abbeys in Ghent: St. Peter's (Blandinium) and Saint Bavo's Abbey. The city grew from several nuclei, the abbeys and a commercial centre. Around 800, Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, appointed Einhard, the biographer of Charlemagne, as abbot of both abbeys. In 851 and 879, the city was however attacked and plundered twice by the Vikings. Within the protection of the County of Flanders, the city recovered and flourished from the 11th century, growing to become a small city-state. By

neg: Carolingian minuscule script developed into blackletter and became obsolete, though its revival in the Italian Renaissance forms the basis of more recent scripts. The script is derived from Roman half uncial and the insular scripts that were being used in Irish and English monasteries. The strong influence of Irish literati on the script can be seen in the distinctively cló-Gaelach (Irish style) forms of the letters, especially a, e, d, g, s and t. Carolingian minuscule was created partly under the patronage of the Emperor Charlemagne (hence Carolingian). Charlemagne had a keen interest in learning, according to his biographer Einhard: Temptabat et

neg: Louis the Pious attempts to include his son Charles by his second wife in the succession plans. Though his reign ended on a high note, with order largely restored to his empire, it was followed by three years of civil war. Louis is generally compared unfavourably to his father, though the problems he faced were of a distinctly different sort. Louis was born while his father Charlemagne was on campaign in Spain, at the Carolingian villa of Cassinogilum, according to Einhard and the anonymous chronicler called Astronomus; the place is usually identified with Chasseneuil, near Poitiers. He was the third son of Charlemagne

neg: Fossa Carolina and Weißenburg in Bayern the European Watershed between the rivers of the Rhine basin and those of the Danube basin is very narrow. Only around 2 km of fairly level terrain lie between the Swabian Rezat and the Altmühl. Carolingian sources report that Frankish king Charlemagne gave orders to dig a 2 kilometers long canal from Treuchtlingen to Weißenburg in Bayern in 793. According to Einhard, writing around two decades later, Charlemagne was convinced by "supposed experts" that it would be possible to travel in comfort by ship from Rhine to Danube if the Rezat could be linked to the

neg: Charlemagne priests preach either in the "rusticam Romanam linguam" (Romance) or "Theotiscam" (the Germanic vernacular) rather than in Latin. The goal of this rule was to make sermons comprehensible to the common people. Charlemagne himself probably spoke a Rhenish Franconian dialect. He also spoke Latin and had at least some understanding of Greek, according to Einhard ("Grecam vero melius intellegere quam pronuntiare poterat", "he could understand Greek better than he could speak it"). The largely fictional account of Charlemagne's Iberian campaigns by Pseudo-Turpin, written some three centuries after his death, gave rise to the legend that the king also spoke Arabic.

neg: Drogo of Metz Drogo of Metz Drogo (17 June 801 – 8 December 855), also known as Dreux or Drogon, was an illegitimate son of Frankish emperor Charlemagne by the concubine Regina. Drogo was born on 17 June 801 at Aachen, Gaul (Aix-La-Chappelle). The Annales Weissemburgenses record Drogo’s birth as "802 aut 803 15 Kal Iul". Aachen was the winter palace of the Carolingian empire located in the north-east section of Gaul, close to the Saxon lands. This area is now in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Einhard names "Drogonem et Hugum" as sons of Charlemagne by his concubine "Reginam". Drogo’s mother, Regina, was one of

neg: Vita Karoli Magni to convey his appreciation for advanced education. He wrote his biography after he had left Aachen and was living in Seligenstadt. Einhard's position while with Charlemagne was that of a modern minister of public works so he had intimate knowledge of his court. Einhard was also given the responsibility of many of Charlemagne's abbeys. It used to be suggested that Einhard's wife, Emma, was a daughter of Charlemagne; that can generally be disregarded as a twelfth-century fabrication, however, since there is no proof. Most biographies of the Middle Ages related only good deeds of their subject, with many embellishments to

neg: Roncevaux Pass side and from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side. The pass divides the valley of the Nive on the north from the valley of the Irati on the south. In 778 Roland, the warden of the Breton March, had accompanied Charlemagne on his campaign into the Iberian peninsula across the Western Pyrenees. Einhard, the biographer of Charlemagne, mentions in his "Vita Karoli Magni" a fatal event involving Vasconian raiders who laid an ambush by hiding in the woods on top of a high mountain while Frankish troops were crossing the mountain pass. Subsequently, the raiders attacked the rear guards of the

neg: Prélude d'Eginhard for the name of Einhard, an 8th-century AD Frankish scholar who was an important courtier and first biographer of Charlemagne. A layman and self-professed "barbarian", he built churches to expiate his sins and entrusted much of the management of his estates to his wife Emma. In the 12th Century an enduring popular myth arose that Emma was a daughter of Charlemagne and had to conduct her early relationship with Eginhard in secret. During one of their trysts a sudden snowfall made it impossible for Eginhard to escape without leaving telltale footprints, so Emma carried him across the snow on the

neg: Pepin the Hunchback daughters to the Frankish nobility. This quirk scandalized later contemporary historians ("Strange to say," Einhard writes, "he never wanted to give any one of them in marriage to anybody") and probably reflects Charles' reluctance to leave problematic heirs that could interfere with a peaceful succession after his death. But in spite of all the potential difficulties that Pepin presented for the succession—particularly his dubious birth and problematic deformity—sources suggest that Charlemagne treated him with affection and even respect. Even after Carloman was rechristened "Pepin", Charlemagne maintained the older Pepin at his court, right alongside Charles the Younger, one of Charlemagne's

neg: Wiesbaden Tolbiac in 496, the Franks eventually displaced the Alamanni in the Wiesbaden area over the course of the 6th century. In the 8th century, Wiesbaden became the site of a royal palace of the Frankish kingdom. The first documented use of the name Wiesbaden is by Einhard, the biographer of Charlemagne, whose writings mention "Wisabada" sometime between 828 and 830. When the Frankish Carolingian Empire broke up in 888, Wiesbaden was in the eastern half, called East Francia (which would evolve into the Holy Roman Empire). The town was part of Franconia, the heartland of East Francia. In the 1170s,

neg: Himiltrude identifiable with Himiltrude. If so, Himiltrude would appear to have died long after 770, although if and when she retired to Nivelles cannot be deduced. Her son Pépin, who suffered from a spinal deformity and was called "the Hunchback", was eclipsed by Charlemagne's sons from his later marriage to Hildegard. Following an attempted rebellion against his father, Pepin was confined to a monastery. The nature of Himiltrude's relationship to Charlemagne is a matter of dispute. Charlemagne's biographer Einhard calls her a "concubine" and Paulus Diaconus speaks of Pippin's birth "before legal marriage", whereas a letter by Pope Stephen III refers

neg: March of the Nordgau the later Margraviate of Moravia. By a 806 deed issued at Thionville, Charlemagne separated out the Bavarian lands on the left bank of the Danube, including the ducal residences of Regensburg and Lauterhofen, called "pagum, qui dicitur Northgowe". His chancellor Einhard submitted the deed to Pope Leo III for confirmation. The Nordgau was again separated from Bavaria following the death of the Luitpolding duke Arnulf in 937. There has been some confusion over whether or not the Nordgau was separated from Bavaria at this date or only as late as 976, when the East Franconian count Berthold of Schweinfurt, who

neg: Paladin 1648. In their earliest appearances the paladins were not the companions of Charlemagne, but of his vassal Roland. This Roland is based on the historical figure Hruodland mentioned by Charlemagne's biographer Einhard as a Lord of the Breton March who died in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778. Nothing else is known of him. By the end of the 12th century the paladins were increasingly thought of as an association reporting to the king after the fashion of the Round Table; the earliest romance to portray them in this way is "Fierabras", dating to around 1170. The names of

neg: De architectura These texts were not just copied, but also known at the court of Charlemagne, since his historian, bishop Einhard, asked the visiting English churchman Alcuin for explanations of some technical terms. In addition, a number of individuals are known to have read the text or have been indirectly influenced by it, including: Vussin, Hrabanus Maurus, Hermann of Reichenau, Hugo of St. Victor, Gervase of Melkey, William of Malmesbury, Theoderich of St. Trond, Petrus Diaconus, Albertus Magnus, Filippo Villani, Jean de Montreuil, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Giovanni de Dondi, Domenico di Bandino, Niccolò Acciaioli bequeathed copy to the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence,

neg: Saxon Wars campaign against them. This time, the most unruly tribe of them all, the Nordalbingians, found themselves effectively disempowered to rebel. Charlemagne deported 10,000 of them to Neustria and gave their now vacant lands to the loyal king of the Obotrites. Einhard, Charlemagne's biographer, said on the closing of the conflict: The war that had lasted so many years was at length ended by their acceding to the terms offered by the King; which were renunciation of their national religious customs and the worship of devils, acceptance of the sacraments of the Christian faith and religion, and union with the Franks

neg: Roi fainéant Roi fainéant Roi fainéant (), literally "do-nothing king" and so presumably "lazy king", is a French term primarily used to refer to the later kings of the Merovingian dynasty after they seemed to have lost their initial energy, from the death of Dagobert I in 639 (or alternatively from the accession of Theuderic III in 673) until the deposition of Childeric III in favour of Pepin the Short in 751. The appellation goes back to Einhard, the biographer of Charlemagne, who described the late Merovingian kings as kings "in nothing but in name", During the century of the "rois fainéants",

neg: Missus dominicus as instruments of the centralized monarchy: the personal character of the "missus", yearly change, isolation from local interests and the free choice of the king. Based on Merovingian "ad hoc" arrangements, using the form "missus regis" (the "king's envoy") and sending a layman and an ecclesiastic in pairs, the use of "missi dominici" was fully exploited by Charlemagne (ruling 768—814), who made them a regular part of his administration, "a highly intelligent and plausible innovation in Carolingian government", Norman F. Cantor observes, "and a tribute to the administrative skill of the ecclesiastics, such as Alcuin and Einhard". The "missi" were

neg: Walafrid Strabo hide anything from his abbot", he fears he may deserve to be beaten. In the vision, Wettin saw Charlemagne suffering torture in Purgatory because of his sexual incontinence. The name of the ruler alluded to is not directly stated in the text, but "Carolus Imperator" form the initial letters of the relevant passage. Many of Walafrid's other poems are, or include, short addresses to kings and queens (Lothar, Charles, Louis, Pippin, Judith, etc.) and to friends (Einhard; Grimald; Rabanus Maurus; Tatto; Ebbo, Archbishop of Reims; Drogo, bishop of Metz; etc.). His most famous poem is the "Liber de cultura hortorum"

neg: Aio of Friuli of this property between Aio's sons on 7 July 809: the eldest son, Alboin or Albuin, received Friuli and Vicenza; the second, Ingobert, received land in Vicenza; and the youngest, Agisclaf, received Verona. Aio's holdings were extensive and his grants to his sons had to be confirmed by the emperor himself. According to both Einhard and the "Annales Fuldenses", Charlemagne sent Haido, Bishop of Basel, Hugh, Count of Tours, and Aio as "missi dominici" to meet emissaries from Constantinople and confirm the Pax Nicephori in 811. Aio of Friuli Aio or Haio (died after 811) was the probable Duke of

neg: Polabian Slavs rebellious Saxons of Holstein. Many of the Slavic tribes became dependencies of the Carolingian Empire and the Franks created the Sorbian March to defend against the Sorbs. Einhard in "Vita Karoli Magni" describes an expedition into Slavic territory led by Charlemagne himself, in 798. The Veleti noted as Wilzi (referred to themselves as "Welatabians") were invaded by the Franks because of their continuous expeditions into Obodrite lands, with the Obodrites being allies of the Franks against the Saxons. German campaigns against the Slavs began in earnest during the Ottonian dynasty. Henry the Fowler attacked the Slavs in several campaigns with

neg: Moduin praise of Charlemagne and he has been called his panegyrist. Moduin's poem to Theodulf and especially his "Egloga" were a major influence on the later Carolingian poet Ermoldus Nigellus. Even Moduin's more famous contemporary Alcuin of York, quotes Moduin in his "En tuus Albinus". The two books of Moduin's "Egloga", about the value of poetry, are traditionally dated to 804–10, before the poem "Karolus Magnus et Leo Papa" usually attributed to Einhard. The "Egloga" are modelled after the eclogues of Virgil and Calpurnius and likewise designed as a vehicle for praising the emperor, the Augustus. The poem is a lively

neg: Hunald II Lupus II of Gascony ordering him to find and arrest Hunald and his family and turn them over to him. In terror, according to Einhard, Lupus captured Hunald and his wife and turned them over to Charles's representatives. Charles then crossed the Garonne to accept Lupus's formal submission in person. In the campaign of 769, Charlemagne seems to have followed a policy of "overwhelming force" and avoided a major pitched battle. Hunald II Hunald II, also spelled Hunold, Hunoald, Hunuald or Chunoald (French: "Hunaud"), was the Duke of Aquitaine from 768 until 769. He was probably the son of Duke

neg: Old High German it was further encouraged during the Carolingian Renaissance in the 9th. The dedication to the preservation of Old High German epic poetry among the scholars of the Carolingian Renaissance was significantly greater than could be suspected from the meagre survivals we have today (less than 200 lines in total between the "Hildebrandslied" and the "Muspilli"). Einhard tells how Charlemagne himself ordered that the epic lays should be collected for posterity. It was the neglect or religious zeal of later generations that led to the loss of these records. Thus, it was Charlemagne's weak successor, Louis the Pious, who destroyed his

neg: Hedeby chronicles of Einhard (804) who was in the service of Charlemagne, but was probably founded around 770. In 808 the Danish king Godfred (Lat. Godofredus) destroyed a competing Slav trade centre named Reric, and it is recorded in the Frankish chronicles that he moved the merchants from there to Hedeby. This may have provided the initial impetus for the town to develop. The same sources record that Godfred strengthened the Danevirke, an earthen wall that stretched across the south of the Jutland peninsula. The Danevirke joined the defensive walls of Hedeby to form an east-west barrier across the peninsula, from

neg: Danegeld a Danish fleet of some two hundred vessels landed in Frisia, harassing first all the coastal islands and then the mainland before defeating the Frisians in three battles. The victorious Danes then demanded a large tribute from the conquered. Soon after, a report was sent to Charlemagne, then at Aachen contemplating a campaign against the Danish king, Godfred, stating that the Frisians had already collected through taxation and paid a sum of one hundred pounds of silver. These events are recorded in the "Annales regni Francorum" and the "Vita Karoli Magni", both works of Charlemagne's court historian, Einhard, and in

neg: Poeta Saxo the Saxons as "our people" in lines 687–690. He probably began collecting oral tradition about Charlemagne, the conqueror of the Saxons, 883, but he soon graduated to annalistic texts, such as the "Annales regni Francorum" as compiled under Einhard, and biographic works, like Einhard's "Vita Karoli Magni"; he composed his poem between 888 and 891, during the reign of Arnulf of Carinthia, whom he addresses. The Poeta was steeped in classical poetry and schooled in rhetoric. The "Annales" gives evidence of his having access to now lost annals and he has been a source for historians, though most literary critics

neg: Aachen town, due to the proximity of the hot springs and also for strategic reasons as it is located between the Rhineland and northern France. Einhard mentions that in 765–6 Pepin spent both Christmas and Easter at "Aquis villa" (""), ("and [he] celebrated Christmas in the town Aquis, and similarly Easter") which must have been sufficiently equipped to support the royal household for several months. In the year of his coronation as king of the Franks, 768, Charlemagne came to spend Christmas at Aachen for the first time. He remained there in a mansion which he may have extended, although there

neg: Charlemagne co-emperor and sent him back to Aquitaine. He then spent the autumn hunting before returning to Aachen on 1 November. In January, he fell ill with pleurisy. In deep depression (mostly because many of his plans were not yet realised), he took to his bed on 21 January and as Einhard tells it: He was buried that same day, in Aachen Cathedral, although the cold weather and the nature of his illness made such a hurried burial unnecessary. The earliest surviving "planctus", the "Planctus de obitu Karoli", was composed by a monk of Bobbio, which he had patronised. A later

neg: Charlemagne not periodic, but were held as required to elect officers "ad quos summa imperii pertinebat", "to whom the highest matters of state pertained". Evidently, interim decisions could be made by the Pope, which ultimately needed to be ratified using an assembly of the people that met annually. Before he was elected king in 750, Pepin was initially a mayor, a high office he held "as though hereditary" ("velut hereditario fungebatur"). Einhard explains that "the honour" was usually "given by the people" to the distinguished, but Pepin the Great and his brother Carloman the Wise received it as though hereditary, as

neg: Himiltrude to Charlemagne and his brother Carloman as being already married (to Himiltrude and Gerberga), and advises them not to dismiss their wives. Historians have interpreted the information in different ways. Some, such as Pierre Riché, follow Einhard in describing Himiltrude as a concubine. Others, Dieter Hägemann for example, consider Himiltrude a wife in the full sense. Still others subscribe to the idea that the relationship between the two was "something more than concubinage, less than marriage" and describe it as a Friedelehe, a supposed form of marriage unrecognized by the Church and easily dissolvable. This form of relationship is often

neg: Gersuinda them to marry and/or leave his court, and Adaltrude's fate, like that of many of Charlemagne's children, is unknown, although many are known to have gone into the church. It is probable that she received a formal education, as Einhard stresses that Charlemagne's sons and daughters were educated in the liberal arts, and the women were expected to learn to spin and weave and 'acquire every womanly accomplishment, rather than fritter away their time in sheer idleness'. Charlemagne left a detailed will in which he provided for his legitimate offspring and his sons' children, and which offers an important source

neg: Visio Karoli Magni Charlemagne's biographer, said that the one who had given the sword would explain its meaning. Charlemagne himself then begins to interpret it: the sword is the (military) power he has from God, meant abundance beyond what his parents enjoyed, meant that his sons will share less abundance than he, meant that they will be greedy and oppressive towards the Church, and meant simply "the end". The anonymous author asserts that he received the story from Rabanus Maurus, who told it widely after rising to the Archbishopric of Mainz. Rabanus was said to have heard it from Einhard, who had it

neg: Einhard later years of their marriage Emma and Einhard abstained from sexual relations, choosing instead to focus their attentions on their many religious commitments. Though he was undoubtedly devoted to her, Einhard wrote nothing of his wife until after her death on 13 December 835, when he wrote to a friend that he was reminded of her loss in ‘every day, in every action, in every undertaking, in all the administration of the house and household, in everything needing to be decided upon and sorted out in my religious and earthly responsibilities’. Einhard made numerous references to himself as a "sinner"

neg: Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius The Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius is a museum of religious art and artifacts inside the Basilica of Saint Servatius in Maastricht, Netherlands. The treasure of the church of Saint Servatius was put together over many centuries. One of the oldest pieces (today non-existent) was a reliquary in the shape of a triumphal arch, donated by Einhard (biographer of Charlemagne and abbot of Saint Servatius) in the 9th century. In the 11th century a custodian ('custos') was put in charge of the church's already seizable treasure. During the late Middle Ages

neg: Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius Servatius in Maastricht. It was he who had the double chapel built which is today the church treasury. Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius The Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius is a museum of religious art and artifacts inside the Basilica of Saint Servatius in Maastricht, Netherlands. The treasure of the church of Saint Servatius was put together over many centuries. One of the oldest pieces (today non-existent) was a reliquary in the shape of a triumphal arch, donated by Einhard (biographer of Charlemagne and abbot of Saint Servatius) in the 9th century. In the 11th century

neg: Aachen penny of Charlemagne The coin was probably deposited during the construction of the Palatine chapel, before the floor was completed. Ulrike Hecker said, "The coin was found in the backfill from the excavation of the grave of 1910, which was made in an area of intact flooring. This origin leads to the conclusion that the Carolingian floor was first laid after 794." The penny, then, along with dendrochronological finds and the literary records of Einhard and Sigebert of Gembloux, is of great significance for dating the beginning of construction of the Carolingian Palatine Chapel, which according to this latest discovery can only be

neg: Royal Frankish Annals the Abbey of St. Medard, and Einhard’s transport of the relics of SS. Marcellinus and Peter into Francia. A more detailed account of Einhard’s procurement of the relics exists in his "Translation and Miracles of Marcellinus and Peter". Additionally, the annals provide the only attestation to the existence of Charlemagne’s personal elephant Abul-Abbas, aside from a mention by Einhard drawn from the annals. The gift of the elephant to Charlemagne, amongst other treasures, by Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid is evidence of the attempts to form an Abbasid-Carolingian alliance at the time, which the annals document loosely. The annals survive in

neg: Gisela, Abbess of Chelles Gisela, Abbess of Chelles Gisela (757–810) was the daughter of Pepin the Short and his wife Bertrada of Laon. She was the sister of Charlemagne and Carloman. She was betrothed to Leo, the son of Byzantine Emperor Constantine V (the future Emperor Leo IV) but the contract was broken. Charlemagne's biographer Einhard states that Gisela had been dedicated to religion since her childhood. She became a nun at Chelles Abbey, where she was eventually made abbess. As the abbess at Chelles Abbey, Gisela oversaw one of the most prolific nuns' scriptoria active in the 8th and 9th centuries. According to