“To have another language is to possess a second soul”
Charlemagne
742 – 814
Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, was an emperor who (from 768 – 814) ruled a great deal of western Europe. He spent most of his reign engaged in warfare, waging a series of bloody battles against the Saxons that lasted almost three decades. This earned him a reputation of being ruthless, as did forcing Saxons to convert to Christianity. Anyone who didn’t convert, follow Christian traditions, or get baptized was put to death.
In 771, he became King of the Franks, today that area would encompass Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and western Germany. In the year 800, Pope Leo III made him emperor of the “Romans”, growing his empire and ensuring the survival of Christianity in the west.
During is lifetime he had many wives, and mistresses, and possibly as many as 18 children. It’s said he loved his daughters so much he refused to allow them to marry while he lived. When he died he was buried at the cathedral in Aachen, his large empire was eventually divided among his heirs but by the late 800’s it had completely dissolved.
In 1165, Emperor Barbarossa canonized Charlemagne, however the church today does not recognize his sainthood.
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