I think the question you are asking is why Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Roman Empire. Though we do not have a really good record of why this happened, it is probable that the people involved wanted to reestablish the West Roman Empire and saw a chance to do so.
First of all, the West Roman Empire did not suddenly collapse. People did not wake up some morning in 476 and see that everything had changed. For a long time after any date modern historians assign for the fall of Rome, there was the lingering idea in the West that the people who lived there were in the Roman Empire, even thought the government was not working.
The West Roman Empire had decayed badly during the 3rd through 6th centuries. During that time, there were often a number of emperors at the same time, sometimes acknowledging the status of each other, and sometimes not. People got used to the idea that the Roman Empire was not defined by its emperors.
When Germanic kingdoms were set up in the West Roman Empire, they were regarded as parts of the Empire, though not under really good control. Roman law was still in use in many places until well into the 8th century, and there was no general consensus that the Roman Empire was a thing of the past. In fact, the East Roman Empire was still one of the most important countries in Europe at the time of Charlemagne; today we call it the Byzantine Empire.
The Franks had been building up their kingdom for a long time, and it had come to dominate the West even more than the Byzantine Empire dominated the East. Charlemagne had become King of the Franks, but was also, separately King of the Lombards. In fact, his power was arguably as great as that of any of the Roman Emperors of the West.
There were a number of other things going on that argued in favor of reestablishing the West Roman Empire. Christians wanted a strong country to counter the Muslims in Spain. Pope Leo III had good reason to want Charlemagne to have as much power as possible, and in fact owed Charlemagne his life. There were people in the West to believed the empire should not be headed by a woman, and the East Roman Empire was, at that time, headed by Empress Irene; this might have influenced people at the time.
So, Pope Leo III, possibly with the help of Charlemagne, and almost certainly with the help of some of Charlemagne's supporters, crowned him Emperor of the Roman Empire.
Charlemagne was not crowned emperor of the Romans. He was crowned as the Holy Roman Emperor, which had nothing to do with ancient Rome. The so-called Holy Roman Empire was a Germanic kingdom of the Middle Ages.
yes ----- The question of whether Charlemagne was Emperor of Rome was raised as soon as he was crowned emperor. Personally, I would say he was not, but others could disagree, and with some reason. The West Roman Empire was long gone, so clearly he was not emperor of that. The East Roman Empire still existed at the time he was crowned, under the name Empire of the Roman People. Today we call it the Byzantine Empire. Empress Irene, who was its monarch at the time Charlemagne was crowned, was quite upset that Charlemagne was crowned emperor of a country with the same name as her own, especially because it seemed to imply that he was the rightful ruler of her empire. Today, we use the term Carolingian Empire for Charlemagne's empire, and the term Byzantine Empire for Irene's, to avoid confusion. Neither term was used at the time. The Carolingian Empire dissolved, but was reestablished as what we call the Holy Roman Empire, a term used while it existed, though originally, it, too, was called the Roman Empire. The City of Rome, by the way, was not part of either the Carolingian Empire or the Byzantine Empire, but was part of the Papal States.
no one did but the pope crowned him emperor of the franks.AnswerPope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day in the year 800 in St. Peter's Basilicia.
Charlemagne was not truly the emperor of the Romans because his reign lacked the political legitimacy and continuity associated with the ancient Roman Empire, which had effectively collapsed by the time he was crowned in 800 AD. His title was granted by Pope Leo III, which established a religious foundation rather than a direct continuation of Roman authority. Furthermore, Charlemagne's empire was largely a Frankish kingdom, and while he sought to revive Roman culture and governance, it was fundamentally a new entity rather than a restoration of the Roman Empire. Thus, his rule represented a blend of Germanic and Roman traditions rather than a genuine revival of Roman imperial power.
The people of the Byzantine Empire were angered when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor in 800 AD because they viewed this act as a direct challenge to their own authority and legitimacy. The Byzantine Empire, with its capital in Constantinople, considered itself the continuation of the Roman Empire and believed that the title of emperor should rightfully belong to the Byzantine ruler. Additionally, the crowning of a Western ruler by the pope symbolized a shift in power dynamics, undermining the Byzantine claim to be the center of Christendom. This event heightened tensions between the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity, contributing to the eventual schism.
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was crowned the new Roman emperor in A.D. 800
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of the Romans on December 25, 800 AD, in Rome. Today we call he empire the Carolingian Empire to distinguish it from the ancient Roman Empire, the Medieval Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire), and the Holy Roman Empire.
Charlemagne was not crowned emperor of the Romans. He was crowned as the Holy Roman Emperor, which had nothing to do with ancient Rome. The so-called Holy Roman Empire was a Germanic kingdom of the Middle Ages.
Supported the pope; pope crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the Roman people
He (that is, Charlemagne) was crowned Emperor of the Roman Empire by the Pope.
charlemagne...
The pope crowned Charlemagne as King of the Holy Roman Empire in the year 800
Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne.
He was crowned as Holy Roman Emperor.
Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor in St. Peter's Basilica, in Rome, on December 25, 800 AD. At the time he crowned Charlemagne, he referred to the empire as the Roman Empire. Today, historians call Charlemagne's empire the Carolingian Empire, but at the time, people in Western Europe called it the Roman Empire, as Pope Leo III had. The people of the Byzantine Empire of the time, who had always called their country the Roman Empire, and would as long as it existed, were not very happy about this. The Carolingian Empire divided into France, and a country we call the Holy Roman Empire, but which called itself the Roman Empire for some time. If all this sounds confusing, imagine how it sounded to the people of the time. There are a links below.