Charlemagne -, King of the Franks, Emperor of the Romans

742 - 814  (71 years)

• Name	Charlemagne -  [1, 2]
  Suffix	King of the Franks, Emperor of the Romans
  Born	2 Apr 742	Liège, Belgium   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Biography	From Wikipedia: was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans (Imperator Romanorum) from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800. This temporarily made him a rival of the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople. His rule is also associated with the Carolingian Renaissance, a revival of art, religion, and culture through the medium of the Catholic Church. Through his foreign conquests and internal reforms, Charlemagne helped define both Western Europe and the Middle Ages. He is numbered as Charles I in the regnal lists of Germany (where he is known as Karl der Große), the Holy Roman Empire, and France. The son of King Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon, a Frankish queen, he succeeded his father in 768 and co-ruled with his brother Carloman I. The latter got on badly with Charlemagne, but war was prevented by the sudden death of Carloman in 771. Charlemagne continued the policy of his father towards the papacy and became its protector, removing the Lombards from power in Italy, and leading an incursion into Muslim Spain, to which he was invited by the Muslim governor of Barcelona. Charlemagne was promised several Iberian cities in return for giving military aid to the governor; however, the deal was withdrawn. Subsequently, Charlemagne's retreating army experienced its worst defeat at the hands of the Basques, at the Battle of Roncesvalles (778) (memorialised, although heavily fictionalised, in the Song of Roland). He also campaigned against the peoples to his east, especially the Saxons, and after a protracted war subjected them to his rule. By forcibly Christianizing the Saxons and banning on penalty of death their native Germanic paganism, he integrated them into his realm and thus paved the way for the later Ottonian dynasty. Today he is regarded not only as the founding father of both French and German monarchies, but also as a Pater Europae (father of Europe): his empire united most of Western Europe for the first time since the Romans, and the Carolingian renaissance encouraged the formation of a common European identity.
  Died	28 Jan 814	Aachen, Germany   [1]
  Person ID	I3153	Our Family
  Last Modified	27 Sep 2016

  
  

  Father	Pepin the Short -, King of the Franks,   b. 714,   d. 24 Sep 768  (Age 54 years)
  Mother	Bertrada of Laon -, Queen of the Franks,   b. Abt 720,   d. 12 Jul 789  (Age ~ 69 years)
  Married	740  [3]
  	Their marriage was not canonically sectioned for several years.
  Family ID	F1131	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Desiderata of the Lombards -
  Married	770  [4]
  Annulled	771
  Last Modified	18 Dec 2016
  Family ID	F1106	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Hildegard of Vinzgouw -,   b. 758,   d. 30 Apr 783  (Age 25 years)
  Married	Abt 771  [1]
  Children	1. Charles the Younger -, King of the Franks,   b. Abt 772,   d. 4 Dec 811  (Age ~ 39 years)   2. Adalhaid -,   b. 774,   d. 774  (Age 0 years)   3. Rotrude -,   b. 775,   d. 6 Jun 810  (Age 35 years)   4. Pepin -, King of the Lombards,   b. Apr 777,   d. 8 Jul 810  (Age ~ 33 years)   5. Louis the Pious -, Holy Roman Emperor,   b. 778, Cassinogilum ,   d. 20 Jun 840, Ingelheim  (Age 62 years)   6. Lothair -,   b. 778,   d. Between 6 Feb 778 and 779  (Age 0 years)   7. Bertha -,   b. 779,   d. 826  (Age 47 years)   8. Gisela -,   b. Abt 781,   d. 808  (Age ~ 27 years)   9. Hildegarde -,   b. 782,   d. 783  (Age 1 years)
  Last Modified	18 Dec 2016
  Family ID	F1105	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 3	Fastrada -,   b. 765,   d. 794  (Age 29 years)
  Married	784  [5]
  Children	1. Theodrada -,   b. Abt 784,   d. Abt 850  (Age ~ 66 years)   2. Hiltrude -,   b. 787
  Last Modified	18 Dec 2016
  Family ID	F1107	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 4	Himiltrude -,   b. Abt 742,   d. Abt 780  (Age ~ 38 years)
  Children	1. Amaudru -   2. Pepin the Hunchback -,   b. Abt 769,   d. 811  (Age ~ 42 years)
  Last Modified	18 Dec 2016
  Family ID	F1618	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 5	Gersuinda -
  Children	1. Adaltrude -,   b. 774
  Last Modified	18 Dec 2016
  Family ID	F1619	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 6	Madelgard -
  Children	1. Ruodhaid -,   b. 775,   d. 810  (Age 35 years)
  Last Modified	18 Dec 2016
  Family ID	F1620	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 7	Amaltrud of Vienne -
  Children	1. Alpaida -,   b. 794
  Last Modified	18 Dec 2016
  Family ID	F1621	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 8	Regina -,   b. Abt 780
  Children	1. Drogo -, Bishop of Metz,   b. 17 Jul 801,   d. 8 Dec 855  (Age 54 years)   2. Hugh -,   b. 802,   d. 844  (Age 42 years)
  Last Modified	18 Dec 2016
  Family ID	F1622	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 9	Ethelind -
  Children	1. Richbod -, Abbott of Saint-Riquier,   b. 805,   d. 844  (Age 39 years)   2. Theodoric -,   b. 807
  Last Modified	18 Dec 2016
  Family ID	F1623	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 2 Apr 742 - Liège, Belgium Died - 28 Jan 814 - Aachen, Germany  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

  Charlemagne King of the Franks, Emperor of the Romans 16th century portrait by Albrecht Dürer

  
  

• Sources

  [S403] Charlemagne Society - US. [S249] Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard,_wife_of_Charlemagne [S249] Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepin_the_Short [S249] Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiderata,_wife_of_Charlemagne [S249] Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastrada