Charlemagne

Hello, I'm Katie and today I will be interviewing Charlemagne.

Katie: What year did you become king?

Charlemagne: I became King of the Franks in 768.

Katie: What happened in between you and Pope Leo III in 799?

Charlemagne: Well, Pope Leo III asked me for help against the rebellious nobles in Rome. So, I sent a delegation to Rome that arrested Leo's opponents. Then, on Christmas Day, the pope showed his gratitude by placing a crown on my head and proclaiming me Emperor of the Romans.

Katie: Why did the ceremony have enormous significance?

Charlemagne: Well, a Christian pope had crowned me, a Germanic king, successor to the Roman emperors. In doing so, Pope Leo III revived the ideal of a united Christian community, which came to be called Christendom.

Katie: What was one of the main things you focused on as king?

Charlemagne: Well, I strove to create a unified Christian Europe. I worked close with the Church and helped spread Christianity to the conquered peoples on the fringes of my empire.

Katie: Did you have any ideas on how to unify your kingdom other than by religion?

Charlemagne: Yes, I did. I also had the idea of education to unify the kingdom. Even though I could only read and not write, I still saw the need for the officials to keep accurate records and write clear reports. So, I set out to revive Latin learning throughout my empire and encouraged the creation of local schools. I also wanted to revive the glory of Rome at my court at Aachen. I brought many of the best scholars of Europe to the Palace School there.