He left France reunited in one and placed at
the head of Christian Europe. He died at the monastery of St. Denis,
September 18, 768, leaving his kingdom and his dynasty thus ready to the
hands of his son, whom history has dubbed Charlemagne.
CAREER OF CHARLEMAGNE
A.D. 772-814
FRANCOIS P.G. GUIZOT
In Charles, the son of Pepin the Short, later known as Charlemagne,
or Charles the Great, the Carlovingians saw the culminating glory
of their line, while in French history the splendor of his name
outshines that of all other rulers. It seemed an act of fate that
his brother and joint heir to the Frankish kingdom should die and
leave the monarchy wholly in his hands, for his genius was to prove
equal to its field of action.
The kingdom which Charlemagne inherited was great in extent, lying
mainly between the Loire and the Rhine, including Alemannia and
Burgundy, while his sphere of influence--to use the modern
phrase--covered many provinces and districts over which his rule
was wholly or in part acknowledged--Aquitaine, Bavaria, Brittany,
Frisia, Thuringia, and others.
Pages:
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674