Charlemagne
3D Presentation Activity
Define
Out of the depression and death of the dark ages and Black Plague, a new leader rises and was known as Charlemagne. Today, we will be covering his significance and importance to our world today.
Cause
The grandson of Charles (The Hammer) Martel, Charlemagne, became the first emperor of Western Europe after the Byzantine Empire fell with the death of it's emperor Justinian. The rise of Charlemagne's rule sparked the end to the Dark Ages and the beginning of The Middle Ages. Who knows, without Charlemagne, maybe the Dark Ages would have lasted a lot longer than they did..
Characteristics
Charlemagne was born in 742 but his birth place is unknown. Some consider parts of Belgium and Germany to be possible places. Charlemagne ruled from 768 to 814, became king of the Franks in 771 and eventually became emperor of the Romans in 800 and was crowned by Pope Leo III. Charlemagne was a very powerful ruler who was very devoted to getting Europe back on track to it's old glory days. He wasn't the type of king to just sit in his palace and eat his food and enjoy the luxuries of power. Instead, he would constantly travel throughout his empire to make sure it was thriving and becoming better and better. He had a passion for women, and had 4 wives with and some say up to 20 children in his lifetime. Also, one of Charlemagne's main goals was to set up an educational system in his kingdom so that everyone would be able to read and write as he also insisted that he learned these skills as well.
Significance
Charlemagne made a huge impact on the society of Europe after his rule, and even today. He was the one true person who helped to lift the whole of Western Europe out of the Dark Ages and thanks to him, Europe was a more educated place than it ever was before because he believed in reading and writing.
Bibliography
"E2=Educational & Entertainment Hub." : 40 Interesting Facts About Charlemagne. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
"Charlemagne." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
"Internet History Sourcebooks." Internet History Sourcebooks. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.