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Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans Charlemagne denier Mayence 812 814.jpg A denarius of Charlemagne dated c. 812-814 with the inscription KAROLVS IMP AVG (Karolus Imperator Augustus) (in Latin) Emperor of the Carolingian Empire Reign 25 December 800 - 28 January 814 Coronation 25 December 800 Old St. Peter's Basilica, Rome Successor Louis the Pious King of the Lombards Reign 10 July 774 - 28 January 814 Coronation 10 July 774 Pavia Predecessor Desiderius Successor Bernard King of the Franks Reign 9 October 768 - 28 January 814 Coronation 9 October 768 Noyon Predecessor Pepin the Short Successor Louis the Pious Born 2 April 742,[1] 747[2] or 748 Francia Died 28 January 814 (aged 65, 66 or 71) Aix-la-Chapelle, Francia Burial Aachen Cathedral Spouses Desiderata (m. c. 770; annulled 771) Hildegard of Vinzgouw (m. 771; d. 783) Fastrada (m. c. 783; d. 794) Luitgard (m. c. 794; d. 800) Issue Among others Pepin the Hunchback Charles the Younger Pepin of Italy Louis the Pious Dynasty Carolingian Father Pepin the Short Mother Bertrada of Laon Religion Chalcedonian Christianity[a] Signum manus Charlemagne's signature Carolingian dynasty Charlemagne autograph.svg Pippinids Arnulfings Carolingians After the Treaty of Verdun (843) vte Charlemagne (English: /ˈʃɑːrləmeɪn, ˌʃɑːrləˈmeɪn/ SHAR-lə-mayn, -MAYN, French: [ʃaʁləmaɲ])[4] or Charles the Great[b] (Latin: Carolus Magnus; 2 April 748[5][c] - 28 January 814), numbered Charles I, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Emperor of the Romans from 800. During the Early Middle Ages, he united the majority of western and central Europe. He was the first recognized emperor to rule from western Europe since the fall of the Western Roman Empire around three centuries earlier.[6] The expanded Frankish state that Charlemagne founded is called the Carolingian Empire. He was later canonised by Antipope Paschal III. Charlemagne was the eldest son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon, born before their canonical marriage.[7] He became king of the Franks in 768 following his father's death, initially as co-ruler with his brother Carloman I, until the latter's death in 771.[8] As sole ruler, he continued his father's policy towards the papacy and became its protector, removing the Lombards from power in northern Italy and leading an incursion into Muslim Spain. He campaigned against the Saxons to his east, Christianising them upon penalty of death and leading to events such as the Massacre of Verden. He reached the height of his power in 800 when he was crowned "Emperor of the Romans" by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day at Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Charlemagne has been called the "Father of Europe" (Pater Europae),[9] as he united most of Western Europe for the first time since the classical era of the Roman Empire and united parts of Europe that had never been under Frankish or Roman rule. His rule spurred the Carolingian Renaissance, a period of energetic cultural and intellectual activity within the Western Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church viewed Charlemagne less favourably due to his support of the filioque and the Pope's having preferred him as emperor over the Byzantine Empire's first female monarch, Irene of Athens. These and other disputes led to the eventual later split of Rome and Constantinople in the Great Schism of 1054.[10][d] Charlemagne died in 814 and was laid to rest in Aachen Cathedral in his imperial capital city of Aachen. He married at least four times and had three legitimate sons who lived to adulthood, but only the youngest of them, Louis the Pious, survived to succeed him. He also had numerous illegitimate children with his concubines. The most likely date of Charlemagne's birth is reconstructed from several sources. The date of 742-calculated from Einhard's date of death of January 814 at age 72-predates the marriage of his parents in 744. The year given in the Annales Petaviani, 747, would be more likely, except that it contradicts Einhard and a few other sources in making Charlemagne sixty-seven years old at his death. The month and day of 2 April are based on a calendar from Lorsch Abbey.[25] In 747, Easter fell on 2 April, a coincidence that likely would have been remarked upon by chroniclers but was not.[26] If Easter was being used as the beginning of the calendar year, then 2 April 747 could have been, by modern reckoning, April 748 (not on Easter). The date favoured by the preponderance of evidence[7] is 2 April 742, based on Charlemagne's age at the time of his death.[25] This date supports the concept that Charlemagne was technically an illegitimate child, although that is not mentioned by Einhard in either since he was born out of wedlock; Pepin and Bertrada were bound by a private contract or Friedelehe[7] at the time of his birth, but did not marry until 744.[27] Place of birth Roman road connecting Tongeren to the Herstal region. Jupille and Herstal, near Liege, are located in the lower right corner. Charlemagne's exact birthplace is unknown, although historians have suggested Aachen in modern-day Germany, and Liège (Herstal) in present-day Belgium as possible locations.[28] Aachen and Liège are close to the region whence the Merovingian and Carolingian families originated. Other cities have been suggested, including Düren, Gauting, Mürlenbach,[29] Quierzy, and Prüm. No definitive evidence resolves the question. Ancestry Charlemagne at dinner - British Library Royal MS 15 E vi f155r (detail).jpg video icon The Early Middle Ages, 284-1000: Charlemagne, 46:14, YaleCourses on YouTube, Yale University video icon Charlemagne: An Introduction, Smarthistory, 7:49, Khan Academy Charlemagne was the eldest child of Pepin the Short (714 - 24 September 768, reigned from 751) and his wife Bertrada of Laon (720 - 12 July 783), daughter of Caribert of Laon. Many historians consider Charlemagne (Charles) to have been illegitimate, although some state that this is arguable,[30] because Pepin did not marry Bertrada until 744, which was after Charles' birth; this status did not exclude him from the succession.[31][32][33] Records name only Carloman, Gisela, and three short-lived children named Pepin, Chrothais and Adelais as his younger siblings.