Charlemagne: The King Who Made Europe

There is one man who shaped modern Europe more than any other. His name was Charles. History calls him Charlemagne — which means “Charles the Great.”

He died over 1,200 years ago. Yet his fingerprints are everywhere. The borders of France and Germany trace back to his reign. The power of the Catholic Church in Europe grew under him. The very idea of a united Europe owes something to this Frankish king.

If you have French roots, Charlemagne is almost certainly your ancestor. Not as a metaphor. As a biological fact.

This is his story.

Who Was Charlemagne?

Charlemagne was born around 742 AD. He was the son of Pippin the Short, King of the Franks. The Franks were a Germanic people. They ruled what is now northern France and western Germany.

When Pippin died in 768, Charlemagne and his brother Carloman divided the kingdom. Carloman died three years later. Charlemagne became sole ruler of the Franks.

He was tall by any measure. Historical records suggest he stood around six feet four inches. He was a skilled horseman and a relentless military commander. He was deeply devout. His faith shaped every decision he made.

He ruled for 46 years. He fought 53 military campaigns. He was rarely at home for long.

The Empire He Built

Charlemagne was almost constantly at war. He pushed south into Italy and became King of the Lombards in 774. He fought the Saxons in the north for more than 30 years. He drove the Moors back in northern Spain. He conquered Bavaria and the Avar territories to the east.

By 800 AD, he controlled most of western Europe. His realm covered what is now France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and northern Italy.

On Christmas Day 800, Pope Leo III crowned him Emperor of the Romans. The ceremony took place in Rome. It was one of the defining moments in European history.

No one in the west had held the title of emperor since the fall of Rome. That had been more than 300 years earlier. Charlemagne had just revived it.

Charlemagne and the Making of France

Charlemagne ruled from Aachen. That city is now in western Germany, near the Belgian border. He built a magnificent palace and chapel there. The chapel still stands. It is one of the oldest buildings in Germany.

He thought of himself as a Frankish king. The Franks gave France its very name. “Francia” — land of the Franks — became “France” over the centuries that followed.

After his death in 814, his son Louis the Pious inherited the empire. Louis struggled to hold it together. When Louis died in 840, his three sons went to war with each other.

In 843, they signed the Treaty of Verdun. This was one of the most important documents in European history.

The treaty divided the empire into three parts. The western part became West Frankia. It covered most of modern France. It was the direct ancestor of the French kingdom.

The eastern part became East Frankia. This was the future Germany.

The middle strip stretched from the North Sea through Burgundy and down into northern Italy. This became the most fought-over land in European history. Nations disputed it for centuries.

The French-German border today still roughly follows the lines drawn at Verdun in 843. Charlemagne did not create France directly. But he created the world from which France emerged.

The Carolingian Renaissance

Charlemagne was far more than a warrior. He cared deeply about learning and culture.

He ordered every monastery in his empire to run a school. He invited the finest scholars in Europe to his court at Aachen. Among them was Alcuin of York — one of the greatest minds of the early medieval world.

Here is a remarkable fact: Charlemagne himself could not write. He tried to learn as an adult. He kept a stylus under his pillow and practised at night. He never mastered it. Yet he built the most literate court in Europe.

His scholars created a new, clear script called Carolingian minuscule. It was easy to read and easy to copy. Most surviving texts from ancient Rome exist today because Charlemagne’s monks copied them. Without his push for literacy, we would have lost much of the ancient world.

He standardised weights and measures across his empire. He created a common silver currency. He held regular councils to settle disputes between nobles and church leaders.

This burst of cultural energy is called the Carolingian Renaissance. It was the first broad revival of learning since the fall of Rome.

🇫🇷 Enjoying this? 7,000 France lovers get stories like this every week. Subscribe free →

Walking in Charlemagne’s Footsteps Today

You do not need to leave France to feel Charlemagne’s world. Much of his empire still survives in stone.

Reims, France: Charlemagne was anointed here. Reims became the coronation city for French kings. Over 25 kings were crowned at Reims Cathedral. The building is extraordinary. It stands on a site sacred since Charlemagne’s time.

Saint-Denis, Paris: The Carolingian dynasty is buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, just north of Paris. This is the royal necropolis of France. French kings from the early Carolingians through to Louis XVIII lie here.

Compiègne, France: A key Carolingian royal residence. Charlemagne held royal assemblies here. Later French kings used it too. The Palace of Versailles belongs to a long tradition of royal country residences. That tradition started in places like Compiègne.

Fontenoy-en-Puisaye, France: The Battle of Fontenoy took place here in 841. Charlemagne’s grandsons fought each other on this ground. That battle led directly to the Treaty of Verdun. That treaty created France.

Aachen, Germany (an hour’s drive from Strasbourg): Charlemagne’s palace chapel still stands here. His tomb is inside. Aachen Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you visit Alsace, crossing into Germany to see it takes very little time.

If you are planning a heritage trip, start with our France trip planning guide. It covers everything from the northeast to the Dordogne.

Why Almost Every European Is a Descendant of Charlemagne

This is one of the most remarkable facts in European history. Mathematicians and geneticists have proved it.

Ancestry works on a doubling principle. You have two parents. Four grandparents. Eight great-grandparents. Each generation back doubles the count. After 40 generations — roughly 1,200 years — the maths demands you had over one trillion ancestors.

But there were not one trillion people alive in 800 AD. Europe had perhaps 25 million people. This means everyone is related to everyone, many times over.

Charlemagne had at least 18 children. Many survived into adulthood. They married into royal families across Europe. Their children married into noble families. Then merchant families. Then farming families. Then, after 40 generations, into virtually every family in Europe.

It is mathematically certain that almost every person with European ancestry descends from Charlemagne. This is not a theory. Mathematicians at Yale confirmed it. The tipping point was around 1,000 years ago — and Charlemagne lived 1,200 years ago.

If your family has French roots, that thread almost certainly leads back to this Frankish king.

Want to trace your French roots further? Our step-by-step guide to French ancestry research shows you how to use the Archives Départementales and other free online records.

France’s Long History of Power and Ideas

Charlemagne is the first great chapter in France’s story. Many more followed.

The Cathars of Languedoc rose and fell centuries after his death. Marie Antoinette lost her head in a revolution that swept away the monarchy his world helped to build. The Marquis de Lafayette carried French ideals to America — ideals with Carolingian roots.

The EU’s founders knew their Carolingian history well. The Charlemagne Prize has been awarded since 1950 to figures who advance European unity. Winston Churchill won it. Jean Monnet won it. Pope John Paul II won it.

Charlemagne came first. He built the framework. Everything else came after.

Frequently Asked Questions About Charlemagne

Was Charlemagne French or German?

Neither, in the modern sense. Charlemagne was a Frankish king. The Franks were a Germanic people who ruled what is now northern France and western Germany. Both France and Germany claim him as a founding father. They have argued about it for centuries.

What language did Charlemagne speak?

Charlemagne’s native tongue was Frankish, a Germanic dialect related to modern German. He also learned Latin for church and official use. He could speak some Greek. He encouraged Latin across his empire for all official documents.

Why did Pope Leo III crown Charlemagne emperor?

Pope Leo III had powerful enemies in Rome who wanted him removed from office. Charlemagne intervened and protected him. In return, Leo crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans on Christmas Day 800 AD. The ceremony took place at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

What happened to the Carolingian Empire after Charlemagne died?

His son Louis the Pious inherited it but could not hold it together. Louis’s three sons went to war after his death in 840. In 843, they signed the Treaty of Verdun. They divided the empire into three parts. The western part became the ancestor of France. The eastern part became the ancestor of Germany.

Where is Charlemagne buried?

Charlemagne is buried at Aachen Cathedral in what is now western Germany. His remains are kept in a gold shrine called the Karlsschrein, which was made in the 13th century. Aachen Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and open to visitors.

You Might Also Enjoy

• Marie Antoinette: The Truth Behind France’s Most Misunderstood Queen
• The Cathars of Languedoc: France’s Forgotten Heresy
• The Cajuns of Louisiana: How Expelled French Settlers Built One of America’s Greatest Cultures

Plan Your France Trip

Ready to explore France’s history in person? Our France trip planning hub covers everything from medieval Alsace to the royal palaces of Île-de-France.