How Charlemagne Created The Greatest Empire In Western Europe Since The Fall Of Rome

in the west of Europe the fall of the Western Roman Empire ushered in the Early Middle Ages it was a time when Victorious Germanic successor kingdoms converted to Catholicism and Consolidated politically with the Franks and Gaul emerging as the most powerful New Kingdom in Western Europe Frankish rulers faced new threats as Muslim Raiders crossed the Pyrenees and pillaged France one such Muslim expeditionary force was soundly defeated in 732 at Tour by Charles Martell a royal official who had a reputation as a fierce military campaigner the Battle of tour was also a great political victory for Charles securing his position as the most powerful man in France he would face other Muslim Raiders in southern France and a persistent Islamic presence north of the Pines would not be vanquished until his son pepen III pushed the Muslims from sept Mania in 759 the grandson of Charles Martell Charlamagne or Charles the great built on the accomplishments of his father and grandfather during during his 46-year Reign between 768 and 814 Charlemagne undertook an unprecedented 54 military campaigns greatly expanding the territory of the Frankish Kingdom and even though the Frankish Army was relatively small compared to the armies of The Classical period modern estimates of its size vary from 5,000 to 35,000 fighting men it was sufficient to carve out the largest state Western Europe had seen since the fall of the Western Roman Empire some 300 years earlier his impressive military and political achievements led him to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the papacy in Rome on Christmas Day 800 Charlemagne's campaigns took him to many areas of Europe in 773 he led his army into Italy crushing the Lombards and crowning his son king of Italy four years later Charlamagne crossed the Pines into Northern Spain although this campaign proved disappointing in 778 Charlamagne and his successors were successful and eventually establishing the Spanish March this area was a string of fortifications in Catalonia which which served as a defensive bwork against Muslim rating and a future base of operations for the Christian reconquest of Spain in the 11th century Charlamagne was more successful in his Eastern campaigns in Germany in 787 he invaded Bavaria and brought the region under his rule in 790 his Frankish armies marched East along the danu and utterly destroyed the avar empire in the Balkans seizing their wealth accumulated in two centuries of raiding and adding it to his own territory perhaps charlamagne's greatest success came in Fria and Saxony a region in Northern Germany between the Rin and elbow Rivers beginning in 772 Charlamagne set his sights on The Conquest and conversion of these regions but resistance was fierce he campaigned numerous times in Saxony from 772 to 803 it was not until 804 after 18 annual campaigns that Saxony was finally pacified and added to the carolingian domain charl may never developed a regular standing army instead he relied on feudal levies to race his forces it did not not take the emperor long to assimilate new regions into his military machine just two years after bringing Saxony into the kingdom Charlamagne created a sliding scale of military contributions ordering five Saxon vassals to equip a six to campaign in Spain and two to equip a third for Bohemia while all of them were required to campaign against Regional threats in 807 he issued a capitulary stating all Nobles in the realm holding a benefice were now obligated to undertake military service if a noble failed to muster for war he risked the confiscation of his estate Charlamagne perfected this system to the point where he could raise several annual levies and conduct operations on multiple fronts including Germany Bohemia Britany and Spain the composition and Equipment of Charlemagne's Army was also continuously evolving initially the carolingian Army was comprised mostly of infantry but as campaigning took him further and further from his base in austraia Charlemagne soon relied increasingly on mounted troops over infantry his numerous capitularies point to the race status of calvalry between 792 and 793 he issued regulations requiring vassals to have a horse Shield Lance sword dagger bow quiver and arrows in other Royal decrees wealthier nobles were ordered to come to war wearing male and were asked to bring rations for 3 months of service and clothing for six furthermore these greater magnates were to make certain their own vassels came on campaign with a standardized panoply consisting of Shield spear bow and 12 arrows even attendant were required to be armed with bows Charlemagne's military success was not founded on the decisive engagement it was instead based on a well- trained and experienced fetal fighting force wearing down the enemy through a strategy of attrition and the ability to raise several armies for annual campaigns in different regions he also recognized the impending threat to his Empire building and garring forts along his borders with the Muslims Danes and Slavs Charlemagne even took Extreme Measures to try to maintain his superiority in military equipment he threatened the forfeiture of all property to anyone selling male H Works to foreigners and death to anyone who exported carolingian swords out of the country perhaps charlamagne's greatest military Legacy was his emphasis on Cavalry as an instrument of strategic mobility and though the sturup stabilized Lancer probably present in limited numbers during charlamagne's Reign did not revolutionize Battle Tactics in the late 8th and early 9th centuries heavy Cav's importance as the centerpiece of the carolingian Tactical system was a harbinger of things to come several events in the 9th and 10th centuries elevated this position of the shock calvalry on the battlefields of Western Europe and led to their dominance in medieval warfare also the characteristics of Charlamagne himself were part of what made him such a renowned leader he towered over his contemporaries both figuratively and literally he was an imposing figure 6' 3 and 1/2 in tall thick necked and large framed he could be warm and talkative but he could also be hard cruel and violent and his subjects came to regard guard him with both admiration and fear Charlemagne was a warrior king Above All Else he developed a notion of Christian Mission in a program of unifying and systematically expanding the Christian West he ruled his Empire for 14 years until his death from natural causes in 814 his force and dynamic personality were needed to create the Empire and without him disintegrating elements quickly took hold these separate kingdoms of charlamagne's Empire would eventually form the modern nations of Western Europe