Charlemagne

Charlemagne's reign laid the foundation for the development of modern Europe by promoting the idea of a unified Christian empire, which influenced the political landscape for centuries. His establishment of the Carolingian Renaissance revived learning and culture, leading to advancements in education and the preservation of classical texts. Additionally, his division of the empire among his heirs set the stage for the rise of feudalism and the eventual fragmentation of political power in Europe. Overall, Charlemagne's legacy shaped the cultural, political, and social structures that would define Europe in the Middle Ages and beyond.

Your textbook may have other thoughts on the matter, but generally speaking Charlemagne is credited with three major achievements:

1. He reunited most of continental Western Europe under his rule and was created the first "Emperor of the Romans" since the fall of the Roman Empire in the 6th century

2. He initiated the "Carolingian Renaissance", ordering the monks in his Empire to systematically collect and copy the works of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Practically all the ancient Greek and Roman scriptures that have survived did so because of this order and because of the copies that were then made

3. He (forcibly) converted the Saxons and many other peoples east of the river Rhine to Christianity.

Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, was significant for uniting much of Western Europe during the early Middle Ages and for fostering the Carolingian Renaissance, a revival of art, culture, and learning based on classical models. His establishment of the Carolingian Empire laid the groundwork for modern European nations and the concept of a united Christendom. While his empire fragmented shortly after his death in 814, his legacy endured through the promotion of education, governance, and the spread of Christianity, influencing European culture and politics for centuries.

charlemagne

to preserve learning

He spread Christianity all across Europe building a great empire now known as France and The Holy Roman Empire

The Verdun Treaty partitioned the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms -one for each of Lous 1(Pious) surviving sons - so ending the 3 year Carolingian Civil War and the start of the dissolution of Charlemagne's Empire. The Treaty being signed at Verdun-sur-Meuse August 843 foreshadowed the formation of modern Europe.

Charlemagne lived in the late 8th century and early 9th century.

They failed to address basic problems of the West such as;the decay of economic infrastructure (roads, bridges).

Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Romans in 800. However, he was the leader of what historians call the Carolingian Empire, not the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire started in 936 with Otto I.