Charlemagne's Achievements

Essay # 45458

A discussion on whether Charlemagne's educational and cultural achievements were greater and more durable than his military and political ones.

2,030 words () | 8 sources | APA | 2003 United Kingdom

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how during his reign, the medieval emperor Charlemagne came to dominate Europe and create an empire of a scale not seen since classical times. It looks at how he created a renaissance of learning, the arts and culture in Europe. It analyzes how the empire was achieved through a number of important military victories and how after the death of Charlemagne it became quickly divided and fragmented. It puts forward the argument that his educational and cultural achievements were greater and more durable than his military and political achievements even though his educational and cultural achievements were often fundamentally dependent on or instrumental in his military and political coups.

From the Paper:

"Charlemagne instilled a great deal of importance in historical texts. He realized the importance of annals and other historical texts in creating a sense of history and of collective national identity. It was very important to build up texts of the history of the Carolingians as part of the empire's pursuit of legitimacy. An example of an historical text which had a clear political impact and related strongly to Charlemagne's military achievements was Paul the Deacon's "Hisotira Langobardorum". This was a history of Lombardy. According to Mckitterick this history was "an active contribution to the shaping of Frankish and Lombard relations." This work actively portrayed the Carolingians as natural heirs to Lombardy."