Definition for Charlemagne
From Biology Forums Dictionary
Charlemagne (742 to 814): King of the Franks, and emperor of the West, the eldest son of Pepin the Short. He defeated the Saxons and the Lombards, fought the Arabs in Spain, and took control of most of Christian Western Europe. In 800 he was crowned head of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo III. In his later years he consolidated his vast empire, building palaces and churches, and promoting Christianity, education, agriculture, the arts, manufacture, and commerce, so much so that the period has become known as the Carolingian Renaissance. His reign was an attempt to consolidate order and Christian culture among the nations of the West, but his empire did not long survive his death, for his sons lacked both his vision and authority. His secretary describes him as ‘always stately and dignified,’ six feet four inches tall, and posessed of remarkably noble features.
