The Story Of Charlemagne And His Saxon Nemesis | Charlemagne

In the 8th century Charlemagne seized power over the entire Frankish kingdom. He went to northern Italy, conquered Pavia, and had himself crowned King of the Lombards there. The only thing Charlemagne had to worry about were the sons of his deceased brother, who could have made a claim for the throne. Charlemagne had them abducted from their mother's hands. At the same time, to the east of the kingdom, the Saxons were fighting the Franks. At first Charlemagne managed to win important battles, but then the rebel leader, Widukind, grew into an enemy who resisted bitterly. Against all advice, Charlemagne rushed to help the governor of Saragossa. He was hoping to expand his kingdom all the way to Spain. But the plan went wrong. The city gates remained closed and Charlemagne had to retreat. At the same time, the Saxons exploited the absence of the Frankish army and rebelled once again under their leader, Widukind. Now Charlemagne was prepared to do whatever it took. He ruthlessly forced the Saxons into submission and had thousands of rebels beheaded. But their leader, Widukind, kept escaping capture. Widukind became Charlemagne's nightmare. Everything depended on whether he succeeded in capturing the rebel leader, thereby breaking the Saxon resistance for good. Charlemagne's mother, Bertrada, and his wife Hildegard died in the same year. Charlemagne ruled out his son from his first marriage, pepping the hunchback as heir to the throne, in favour of Hildegard's sons. History Hit has hundreds of exclusive documentaries with unrivaled access to the world's best historians. We're committed to bringing history fans award-winning documentaries and podcasts that you cannot find anywhere else. Sign up now for a free trial and Timeline fans get 50% off their first three months. Just be sure to use the code TIMELINE at checkout. Charlemagne was definitely someone who we can't relate to. That's because of his personal attitude to life and the juxtaposition of the very brutal actions he performed as a ruler, and the great personal charm and charisma which he undoubtedly must have possessed. The nose was a little long, and his neck was a little thick and short, and his belly protruded a little, but these flaws didn't really show in the balance of his limbs. His daily meals consisted of four courses. He preferred meat over anything else. He hated herbs, because they told him to give up the roast meat and eat cooked meat instead. He often complained that fasting was harming his health. Einhard's statements are the only contemporary descriptions of Charlemagne's appearance. The only other information about the real stature of the Frankish king comes from his mortal remains in his shrine in Aachen Cathedral. The shrine was opened in 1988 for research and restoration purposes. Joachim Schleifring was the anthropologist charged with making an assessment. At the time, the conclusions were merely drawn from the bone's appearance. The strong bone structure and a large diameter of the pelvis were striking. Two long bones suggested a height of more than 1 meter 80. Various ossifications indicated an age at death of 60 to 70 years. It surprised me, given what we know about Charlemagne's age, that his skeleton was in a condition that I'd describe as top fit for his advanced age. He had very few degenerative changes in his knee joint and heel bone. There were no indications of breaks or injuries. His skeleton was in surprisingly good shape for his age. He was an athletic man of above-average height. His bones were quite robust. The emperor's cranium is also in Aachen's Cathedral treasury and can be examined. The sutures confirm Charlemagne's ripe old age of 66. That means he exceeded the average life expectancy of a Frank in the early Middle Ages by 37 years. By performing a medical analysis on his shin bone in the treasury, the scientists have completed the initial findings about Charlemagne's size and health. The chemist Bernhard Blümisch and the medical expert Frank Röhle performed bone density measurements and magnetic resonance imaging. The examinations of Charlemagne's shin bones yielded various results and that allows us to get a better picture of him. We can reconstruct his height and we believe he was around 1 meter 84, which is tall for that time, but not abnormally tall. He was slender, not very robust. He also had a very well-preserved interior bone structure. The computer tomography reveals a relatively healthy bone without major pathologies. 1,200 years after his death, modern medicine has confirmed that Charlemagne was in rude health. Just a few months after Hildegard's death, Charlemagne married an East Frankish noblewoman named Fastrada. She was described as clever and self-confident and made quite a few enemies in the male-dominated society. At the same time, in Saxony there was fighting yet again. Mein König. Dem Herrschenden kommt es zu, gemäß dieser göttlichen Ordnung zu handeln und das Reich gemäß der kosmischen Gesetze zu lenken. Irgendwo ist nichts und nichts geht je verlor. Und nicht immer ist Gewalt der richtige Weg, Gottes Ratschlüsse für die Ewigkeiten durchzusetzen. Charlemagne was firmly expecting the last judgment and, like most of his contemporaries, he was probably scared of it. He knew that every person would stand alone in front of his judge and he knew that a king would also be punished for the sins of his subjects. That's scary. I think Charlemagne will have been scared about death. And that a lot of the energy to reform his realm came from this fear. In 785 Charlemagne had a meeting with his greatest opponent, the Saxon leader Widukind. It was the first time the two had come face to face. Medieval society was a society where everything was focused on competition. The aim was always to subordinate the competitor. If he surrenders voluntarily shortly before defeat, he is entitled to be spared. Widukind had himself baptized and Charlemagne was his godfather. Charlemagne's acting as godfather to Widukind was an act of friendship, of friendliness and recognition. It's paying tribute to the defeated, if you will. Long-term story was a successful one. The Saxons, who had never been very different from the Franks except in terms of religion and not having kings, that was important, their material culture was very similar to that of the Franks. They understood each other. Literally understood each other. So they integrated and Einhardt says that the Franks and the Saxons became one people. Widukind's price for peace was high and despite the empty state coffers, Widukind's conversion to Christianity was worth several precious items to Charlemagne. The Museum of Decorative Arts in Berlin has one of them, the Bursa. It's said to be one of the baptismal gifts given to the Saxon prince by Charlemagne. Charlemagne waged the war against the Saxons under the motto, baptism or death and Widukind chose baptism. That means he forswore all further resistance and subordinated himself to Charlemagne. That he got something from Charlemagne in return is also true. In some sense he was a victor because he got his Saxon estates back and was able to return home after he'd spent a long time away. Charlemagne and Widukind forged a peace treaty with which the Saxon nobility grew more influential in the Frankish realm. The leader of the rebels was later glorified as a mythical being. As an advocate of Christianity, Widukind is said to have founded Enger Abbey in Westphalia. It's believed that this is also where he found his final resting place. The chiseled tombstone depicts him in the regalia of a priest king. The Saxon wars exhausted the Frankish realm. There were frequent rebellions that Charlemagne put down brutally. It took a long time to realize that it would take more than tough action and oppression to obtain the loyalty of his new subjects. The Frankish empire achieved hitherto unknown dimensions during Charlemagne's reign. It became the superpower in Europe. Even the powerful Duchy of Bavaria was annexed along with parts of the Avar kingdom in the east. Furthermore, most of the bordering regions were politically dependent on the Franks. These days we see Charlemagne as the father of Europe, or one of the fathers of Europe. But politically, you can't transfer the term Europe to the time of the Karolingians. Even though poets sang hymns of praise about Charlemagne at the time and called him the beacon of Europe, this was always a purely geographical term. Charlemagne got his name because he ruled over the largest part of the Christian west. In order to rule over his huge realm, Charlemagne was always on the go with his entourage. Unlike Hildegard, Queen Fastrade usually remained at court to support Charlemagne from there. The two were in constant contact via the Royal Military Postal Service. During Charlemagne's absence, Fastrade was in charge of business. It's a responsibility Charlemagne wouldn't have given his previous wives. Fastrade is the only wife of whom a letter from Charlemagne to her survives. And again, it's a letter that's couched in terms which are affectionate, but which also imply how politically important she was. Charlemagne's third wife, Fastrade, who presumably wasn't as young as Hildegard when she married Charlemagne, seems to have been more important to him politically. He included her more than he did Hildegard. We know that she's mentioned in the Capitulare de Vilis, and she was to be kept informed about the proceeds of royal estates, just like the king. Einhard, who evidently didn't like her, blames her for the rebellion of Charlemagne's eldest son, Pepin the Hunchback. The palace in Aachen had become the main royal residence when the young Einhard came to court. Charlemagne surrounded himself with European scholars in Aachen. Einhard was the only frank among them. Charlemagne took advantage of different political opportunities to attract scholars from other countries to his court, or to impose on them a stay at his court. I'm thinking of Paul the Deacon. But he also had a definite policy of attracting scholars. There's Alcuin, for example, who became one of the most outstanding scholars of the Frankish world. Im Reich der Gelehrten. Ich bin Osulf. Du musst Einhard sein? Ja, Einhard von Kloster Fulda. Abt Baugulf hat mich geschickt. Ich habe gehört, du warst ein Musterschüler. Da, das ist der große Alcuin von York, von nun an dein neuer Lehrmeister. Da, der weißhaarige alte Fuchs, das ist der Langobarde Paulus Diaconus. Angelbert, der Galan der Königstochter. Da, der dichtende Westkote Theodulf und Adalhard von Corbet. Charlemagne wanted to use the scholars to advance the culturally backward Frankish empire by implementing an educational reform. Even before Charlemagne, important people realized that the formal education, mastery of the Latin language, the ability to read and write Latin texts had suffered greatly in the Frankish realm. The Anglo-Saxon missionaries in the mid-8th century were the first to realize this. The first efforts to remedy the situation occurred under his father Pepin. But Charlemagne really focused on it and I think it's one of his most significant achievements that he felt he could fix this decline in education. Not by relying on the Franks alone, but by getting the support of educated foreigners. Amen. In the early days of Charlemagne's reign, the various scripts within the Frankish kingdom were quite different. That's why Charlemagne, who wanted to send out his decrees in writing all over the realm, was interested in having a uniform, simple, easily legible alphabet. And this was then implemented. One of the most important achievements of the educational reform came from Charlemagne's highest court scholar. The Alcuin Bible, written in Carolingian minuscule, the new script of small letters. This made a joined-up, simple way of writing possible for the first time. It's the precursor of our current writing. The oldest surviving book in the German language also mentions Charlemagne's campaign for better education in the Frankish kingdom. The Codex Abrogans was a first dictionary of terms used in church Latin. Priests and laypeople were to really understand what Christian texts talked about. One of the greatest achievements we can attribute to Charlemagne and his court scholars, because you always have to see him together with his entourage, is his educational reform, which is also known as the Carolingian Renaissance. It expresses Charlemagne's desire to improve knowledge of writing and the Latin language. And so the Carolingian Renaissance was a firm part of Charlemagne's government program and his social reform. In September 796, Charlemagne's son, Pepin, returned victorious from his campaign against the Avars in what is now Hungary. Charlemagne gave his son Pepin the supreme command in the Avar campaign. That was definitely a test and Pepin passed this test with flying colors. The victory against the Avars was a huge success. The booty was plentiful and it greatly increased Charlemagne's standing. The Avar treasure gave Charlemagne the means to implement his visions. He founded bishoprics all over his empire and made them centers of his educational reform. He also planned the construction of a magnificent residence in Aachen. Since his childhood, Charlemagne has been entrusted with the highest of honors. That is why he built the beautiful church in Aachen, which he adorned with gold and silver, with lights and with grids and doors made of massive metal. It was a wonderful time back then. You should actually write all of this down, Johannes. For this construction, the king had marble and columns from Rome and Ravenna brought, which he could not get anywhere else. I think his intention back then was to live like a Roman emperor. But you don't need to write that down now. The pope himself had approved the valuable building material. The palace was by far the most elaborate building of the Carolingian era. A royal hall as the seat of government, a garrison and courtrooms and the still extant octagon, a magnificent palace chapel based on the Roman Byzantine model. Even 200 years after its construction, the church domes to be the highest north of the Alps. The symbolism of the central building speaks for itself. An octagon as a representation of heavenly Jerusalem. That was how Charlemagne expressed his entitlement to rule the whole world. Placing the throne on the gallery put the king in the most elevated position, into a special sphere. By the 15th century, it had been the coronation throne of 31 German rulers. The palace chapel, the octagon, which still exists as Aachen Cathedral, was influenced by a model in Ravenna. That's evident. But it's not at all clear how much he copied Roman buildings in general. There are certain documents, but they're by no means clear. During the reign of Charlemagne, Aachen fulfilled a part of what Rome once meant to the Roman emperors. But Aachen wasn't some kind of replica of Rome in Charlemagne's day. The stormy days of Charlemagne's youth were behind him. Now he focused more on seeking insights and gathered the leading scholars of Europe in Aachen to create philosophical circles. The participants called themselves after ancient and biblical role models. Flaccus, the faithful priest of eternal bliss in Christ, offers his greetings to the most beloved lord, King David. Greetings to you too, great Alcuin. Ah, there are also Homer and Nadulus. Alcuin, what do you say about the position of the worldly and spiritual rulers today? Three offices are the most important in the whole world today. One is the dignity of the pope in Rome. The other is the imperial dignity of Byzantium. And the third is the royal dignity, in which you, my king, have used God's will as the leader of Christianity. Even today, your power is superior to that of all others. Indeed. And I appreciate that your words are not those of a courtly flatterer. And is it God's will, dear Alcuin? I will gladly walk the path to the highest office of worldly power with your help. Charlemagne's plans have to have come together a while before the year 800. The first signs of them can be found in the royal annals, if you just look at who Charlemagne was communicating with at the time. Suddenly, from 797, all the great rulers are suddenly gathered around. Not just the emperor in Byzantium, the caliph in Baghdad, the emir in Cordoba, but also the lesser rulers, even from North Africa and Italy. Suddenly, everyone's represented. Within the next five years, they're all listed in the royal annals. That's a ruler acting like a world ruler. In April 799, an incident occurred in Rome that Charlemagne used to his political advantage. The pope was physically attacked. Men from his closest circle were involved. They accused Leo III of fornication, adultery and perjury. In addition, he wasn't from Roman aristocratic circles. They abducted the pope and wanted to make him unfit to hold office by blinding and mutilating him. But things didn't turn out that way. A loyal servant helped the pope escape to the care of royal Frankish messengers, who led him across the Alps to the only conceivable place of refuge, to Charlemagne, the patron of the Roman church. The trip across the Alps took eight weeks. Then the pope, accompanied by Charlemagne's messengers, reached the royal palace in Paderborn. The meeting took place in Paderborn, far in the north, and Charlemagne definitely didn't hold it there at random. He wanted to demonstrate to the pope what he had done for Christianity, for the spread of Christianity. That's why the meeting took place in newly conquered Saxony. When Leo III arrived, Charlemagne let him feel his power. You will save me from the clutches of this bastard, only to then judge me? You are the patron of the church ordered by God. You cannot deliver me to these criminals again. I really don't intend to deliver you. I only strive for truth and justice. And that can only be achieved in Rome. Arise, all of you, Holy Father. Should the accusations that those criminals, as you call them, have raised against you be unbearable, I will do everything to put you back in Rome. The accusations against me are unbearable. Then, Holy Father, you have nothing to fear. There are historians who suspect that this whole story was staged by Charlemagne so that he could present himself as emperor in Rome. I personally don't believe that. Charlemagne had had far too many successes already. The most recent success against the Avars in 795 made him the indisputable ruler of the West. He controlled all the old imperial residences in the West, including Rome. And I can't believe that such a man didn't have the idea all on his own, I want to be emperor. Nobody in Rome suspected what Charlemagne really wanted to achieve as supreme judge, namely to acquit the Pope in a proper trial. To do that, he cleverly used a legal dodge. Leo III, reinstated as the Pope, was to show his gratitude to Charlemagne the next day. ...and he had asked the king for protection. Therefore, Charlemagne went to Rome to sort out the confused circumstances of the church. And then to crown himself emperor. Yes. On this occasion, he received the title of Emperor and Augustus, which was so disappointing to him at first that he declared that he would not voluntarily enter the church even on those high holidays if he had suspected the intention of the Pope. Einhardt reported on Charlemagne's coronation as emperor in a very strange way. He doesn't say when it happened. He doesn't say where it happened. He just said that Charlemagne had said later that if he had known of the Pope's intentions, he wouldn't have gone to church that day, even though it was an important holiday. He probably didn't entirely like the pivotal role of the Pope, because the Franks generally felt far superior to the Romans. The interpretation that emerged for Charlemagne's court was that he only got the imperial title, the nomen imperatoris, for something he had already achieved under his own steam. That's probably the context of that story. On Christmas Day 800, Charlemagne became Augustus Imperator Romano, the noble emperor of the Romans. This act was to change the history of the world. From this point on, the Pope would crown emperors for centuries. The events of Christmas Day had far-reaching consequences. That's when the medieval empire was founded, which was to continue in the form of the Holy Roman Empire up until the year 1806. At the same time, this empire was closely tied to the papacy, even though Charlemagne mightn't have intended this. Charlemagne never returned to Rome. He started focusing on domestic politics. To secure the future of his huge empire, he implemented reforms. He put uniform laws in place. The silver denarius was introduced as the empire-wide currency. The cultivation of grains and fruits was to be improved. Charlemagne issued economic regulations that he put into effect on all his royal estates. As part of his comprehensive educational program, Charlemagne made schools accessible to laypeople. His maxim was, first comes knowledge, then action. Charlemagne considered it his duty to guide his people to salvation. He had a Catholic and also a completely pragmatic understanding of his rule. His capitularies addressed moral aspects, since it was his God-given responsibility to make sure his entire people achieved blessedness. There's no doubt about it in the ad monitio generalis. It was his job to lead his people to salvation. Our emperor Ludwig was his last remaining son who came into question for the throne. He had already made him a co-emperor during his lifetime. And this time the coronation went according to his plan. No pope and no bishop. He himself put the crown on his son's head as a demonstration of his omnipotence. Soon after, it came to the strangest of foretellings. A tremendous flash had struck the roof of our church at that time and shattered the golden dome at the top. In addition, the palace in Aachen was often shaken and the roofs of the buildings in which Charlemagne was staying were constantly cracking. Charlemagne died of pneumonia when he was 66. After a reign of 46 years, he left his son Louis a huge empire. As emperor Louis the Pious, he would continue his father's reform policies, but he wouldn't be able to maintain the unity of the Frankish empire. Just 30 years later, the empire fell into three parts. West Francia, East Francia, from which a German empire emerged, and Middle Francia, which would later split further. But what's great about Charles? There have always been conquerors, but it has to be said that despite the empire's domestic difficulties after Charlemagne's death, especially during the reign of his son Louis the Pious, during which there was inner conflict, the empire stuck together. He understood how to organize his empire so that it stood as a whole. A certain feeling of unity, of us, developed. The Saxons felt part of this us, as did the Lombards. I personally consider the renewal of intellectual culture as outstanding. He called it reparare, to renew, to repair, to restore. He restored the intellectual culture, Latin, the sciences, to understand faith properly, and this restoration of science continued to have an effect. It was a restoration of logic, of reason, of rational thinking, and that was incorporated into European society for the next 300 years, until it was so deep-seated that it changed the world. Charlemagne was buried in Aachen. Some say he was cruel and power-hungry, others praise him as being wise and agreeable to God. One thing that's certain is that as the first emperor of the medieval West, Charlemagne shaped an entire era. He ruthlessly forged an enormous empire with his sword, but he also made it flourish culturally. Even his contemporaries stylized him as a figure of light, while one created a literary monument for him.