AEthelflaed
{ath'-uhl-flad}
AEthelflaed, d. 918, daughter of King Alfred of Wessex, ruled thesemiautonomous Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, first with AEthelred,ealdorman of Mercia, whom she married c.880, and then on her own duringthe illness that preceded his death (911) and thereafter until her owndeath. Known as the Lady of the Mercians, she built fortresses and helpedrecover areas held by the Danes--victories that facilitated theascendancy of her brother EDWARD THE ELDER. After AEthelflaed's death,Edward incorporated English Mercia into Wessex.
Alfred, called The Great (849-99), king of the West Saxons (871-99), andone of the outstanding figures of English history. Born in Wantage insouthern England, Alfred was the youngest of five sons of King Ethelwulf.On the death of his brother Ethelred Alfred became king, coming to thethrone during a Danish invasion. Although he succeeded in making peacewith the Danes, they resumed their marauding expeditions five yearslater, and by early 878 they were successful almost everywhere. AboutEaster of 878, however, Alfred established himself at Athelney and beganassembling an army. In the middle of that year he defeated the Danes andcaptured their stronghold, probably at present-day Edington. During thefollowing 14 years Alfred was able to devote himself to the internalaffairs of his kingdom. By 886 he had captured the city of London, andsoon afterward he was recognized as the king of all England.
In 893 the Danes invaded England again, and the following four years weremarked by warfare; eventually, the Danes were forced to withdraw fromAlfred's domain. The only ruler to resist Danish invasions successfully,Alfred made his kingdom the rallying point for all Saxons, thus layingthe foundation for the unification of England.
Alfred was a patron of learning and did much for the education of hispeople. He began a court school and invited British and foreign scholars,notably the Welsh monk Asser and the Irish-born philosopher andtheologian John Scotus Erigena, to come there. Alfred translated suchworks as The Consolation of Philosophy by the Roman statesman andphilosopher Boethius, The History of the World by the Spanish priestPaulus Orosius, and Pastoral Care by Pope Gregory I. Alfred's laws, thefirst promulgated in more than a century, were the first that made nodistinction between the English and the Welsh peoples.Wessex
The most durable of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, Wessex formed the nucleusabout which the future English nation coalesced. Located in southwesternEngland, the kingdom grew from settlements established perhaps as earlyas the late 5th century by Germanic tribes from continental Europe. WestSaxon kings accepted Christianity in the early 7th century, and Wessexshortly thereafter was unified. The native Britons, who were Celts, andtheir Germanic conquerors became equal before the law under the legalcode issued by King Ine (r. 688-726). After the Danish Vikings invadedEngland and conquered many of the other Anglo-Saxon monarchies, the WestSaxon king ALFRED successfully resisted a Danish attempt to invade Wessexand established (886) West Saxon leadership over all the Anglo-Saxonrulers who had not succumbed to Danish rule. Alfred's son EDWARD THEELDER and grandson ATHELSTAN extended their dominion over England,expanding gradually into the DANELAW (areas controlled by the Danes) andcompleting the reconquest in 927. The crown of Wessex then became thecrown of England. EDGAR the Peaceful (r. 959-75) enjoyed the mostextensive rule of any Wessex king. In 1016, King AETHELRED II lostEngland to the Danes. After the Danish line ended, EDWARD THE CONFESSOR,the last king in the Wessex line, ruled (1042-66).
He married Lady Alswitha (Ealhswith), daughter of Ethelan, the Earl ofMercia, lineally descended from Crioda, 1st Earl of Mercia, who died in594. She died in 904
AEthelflaed
{ath'-uhl-flad}
AEthelflaed, d. 918, daughter of King Alfred of Wessex, ruled thesemiautonomous Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, first with AEthelred,ealdorman of Mercia, whom she married c.880, and then on her own duringthe illness that preceded his death (911) and thereafter until her owndeath. Known as the Lady of the Mercians, she built fortresses and helpedrecover areas held by the Danes--victories that facilitated theascendancy of her brother EDWARD THE ELDER. After AEthelflaed's death,Edward incorporated English Mercia into Wessex.1. Ethelfleda, a daughter, married the regent of Mercia, Ethelred,(Ealdorman of the Mercians). This marriage set the final seal upon thecooperation of the South and Midlands. He died in 911, and his widowsucceeded him as ruler of Mercia. She was known as "the Lady of theMercians." She aided he brother Edward I., the Elder, in conquering theDanelaw and its Five Boroughs. In 918, the Danish resistance in EastAnglia collapsed, and all the Danish leaders submitted to Edward as theirprotector and lord. They were granted in return their estates and theright to live according to their Danish customs. At the same time "theLady of the Mercians" conquered Leicester, and received even from Yorkoffers of submission. In this hour of success Ethelfleda died, and Edwardwas invited by the nobles of Mercia to occupy the vacant throne.
Charles II (Holy Roman Empire), called The Bald (823-877), Holy Romanemperor (875-877), and, as Charles I, king of France, born in Frankfurtam Main, Germany. He was the fourth son of Holy Roman Emperor Louis I;his mother, Louis's second wife, was Judith of Bavaria. Judith'sdetermination to secure a kingdom for her only son led to civil war withLouis's other two surviving sons, Holy Roman Emperor Lothair I and KingLouis II of Germany. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty ofVerdun in 843. Charles received the western portion of the empire, whichfrom this time may be called the kingdom of France, or the West FrankishKingdom. Charles was a weak ruler; the great nobles were rapidly becomingindependent, and the Vikings pillaged the country without meeting muchresistance from Charles, who preferred to buy them off. Nevertheless,when Holy Roman Emperor Louis II died in 875, Charles received theimperial crown through the favor of Pope John VIII. Charles was succeededas king of France by his son, Louis II, but the imperial throne wasvacant until 881.
Louis I (Holy Roman Empire), called The Pious (778-840), Holy Romanemperor (814-840), king of France (814-840), king of Germany (814-840),and king of Aquitaine (781-840). He was the son and sole successor ofCharlemagne. In 817 Louis made plans for an orderly succession among hissons: Lothair I, Louis II (Louis the German), and Pepin of Aquitaine.Later he wanted to include in the succession Charles II (Charles theBald), his son by a second marriage. Dissatisfied, his older sonsrebelled (830, 833) against him and fought among themselves for supremacyas well. Pepin died in 838, and in 843 the empire was divided among thethree surviving brothers (see Verdun, Treaty of).
Carolingians
{kair-oh-lin'-jee-uhnz}
The Carolingians, a family of Ripuarian FRANKS that took its name fromCHARLES MARTEL, the grandfather of CHARLEMAGNE, were the most importantdynasty in early medieval Europe. They had their origins in the union ofthe family of Arnulf, bishop of Metz, with that of Pepin of Landen (d.c.640), hereditary mayor of the palace in AUSTRASIA, during the early 7thcentury.
As mayors of the palace, the Carolingians were de facto rulers of theFrankish territories under the later MEROVINGIAN kings. An attempt toseize the kingship in the mid-7th century failed, but in the next 100years Pepin of Heristal (d. 714) and his illegitimate son, Charles Martel(d. 742), restored the family's fortunes. Charles's son PEPIN THE SHORTdeposed Childeric III, the last of the Merovingian monarchs; with papalsupport, he became king of the Franks in 751.
Pepin had two sons, Carloman and Charles (Charlemagne), who succeeded himjointly in 768. The former died in 771, leaving Charlemagne in control ofthe entire realm. He more than doubled its size and obtained the titlesof king of the Lombards (774) and emperor (800). Charlemagne's solesurviving son, LOUIS I, inherited (814) his lands and titles but also hisproblems--Viking invasions, Muslim raids, and greedy nobles. Thesituation worsened because Louis had three heirs: LOTHAIR I, LOUIS THEGERMAN, and CHARLES II (Charles the Bald).
When Louis died in 840, the civil wars that had begun during his reigncontinued, resulting in the division of the empire into three kingdoms bythe Treaty of Verdun (843; see VERDUN, TREATY OF). The kingdoms wereredivided by the Treaty of Mersen (870). After interruptions,Carolingian rule in what is now France came to an end in 987; in what isnow Germany, it ended in 911.
Also called Judith The Fair.
Louis I (Holy Roman Empire), called The Pious (778-840), Holy Romanemperor (814-840), king of France (814-840), king of Germany (814-840),and king of Aquitaine (781-840). He was the son and sole successor ofCharlemagne. In 817 Louis made plans for an orderly succession among hissons: Lothair I, Louis II (Louis the German), and Pepin of Aquitaine.Later he wanted to include in the succession Charles II (Charles theBald), his son by a second marriage. Dissatisfied, his older sonsrebelled (830, 833) against him and fought among themselves for supremacyas well. Pepin died in 838, and in 843 the empire was divided among thethree surviving brothers (see Verdun, Treaty of).
Carolingians
{kair-oh-lin'-jee-uhnz}
The Carolingians, a family of Ripuarian FRANKS that took its name fromCHARLES MARTEL, the grandfather of CHARLEMAGNE, were the most importantdynasty in early medieval Europe. They had their origins in the union ofthe family of Arnulf, bishop of Metz, with that of Pepin of Landen (d.c.640), hereditary mayor of the palace in AUSTRASIA, during the early 7thcentury.
As mayors of the palace, the Carolingians were de facto rulers of theFrankish territories under the later MEROVINGIAN kings. An attempt toseize the kingship in the mid-7th century failed, but in the next 100years Pepin of Heristal (d. 714) and his illegitimate son, Charles Martel(d. 742), restored the family's fortunes. Charles's son PEPIN THE SHORTdeposed Childeric III, the last of the Merovingian monarchs; with papalsupport, he became king of the Franks in 751.
Pepin had two sons, Carloman and Charles (Charlemagne), who succeeded himjointly in 768. The former died in 771, leaving Charlemagne in control ofthe entire realm. He more than doubled its size and obtained the titlesof king of the Lombards (774) and emperor (800). Charlemagne's solesurviving son, LOUIS I, inherited (814) his lands and titles but also hisproblems--Viking invasions, Muslim raids, and greedy nobles. Thesituation worsened because Louis had three heirs: LOTHAIR I, LOUIS THEGERMAN, and CHARLES II (Charles the Bald).
When Louis died in 840, the civil wars that had begun during his reigncontinued, resulting in the division of the empire into three kingdoms bythe Treaty of Verdun (843; see VERDUN, TREATY OF). The kingdoms wereredivided by the Treaty of Mersen (870). After interruptions,Carolingian rule in what is now France came to an end in 987; in what isnow Germany, it ended in 911.
Louis the German, East Frankish King
During the reign of the Carolingian king Louis the German, b. c.804, d.Aug. 28, 876, the separation of Germany from the Frankish state began.One of the sons of Frankish Emperor LOUIS I, Louis the German wasinvolved in the civil wars of his father's reign, which culminated in theTreaty of Verdun (843; see VERDUN, TREATY OF). This agreement divided theCarolingian state into three parts: Louis received the lands of theGerman-speaking peoples; his half brother, Charles the Bald (laterFrankish Emperor CHARLES II), the French-speaking areas; and his brotherEmperor LOTHAIR I, a middle kingdom comprising Italy and the area latercalled LOTHARINGIA.
Much of Louis's reign was devoted to gaining control of the landsassigned to his brothers. In 860 he was promised Alsace, and in 870 heand Charles partitioned the remainder of Lotharingia by the Treaty ofMersen. Louis exercised some limited authority over the Slav tribes eastof the Elbe River and protected Bishop Ansgar of Hamburg-Bremen's missionto convert Sweden. In his last years Louis worked in vain to acquire theimperial crown and Italy for his son Carloman.Louis II (of Germany), called The German (circa 806-76), king of Germany(843-76), the third son of Holy Roman Emperor Louis I. An activeparticipant in the civil wars that marked the last ten years of hisfather's reign, he became ruler of all Germany east of the Rhine by theTreaty of Verdun in 843. Even after that, however, he continued to fighthis kinsmen, winning the eastern part of Lorraine in 870. An able ruler,Louis strengthened government in his lands and encouraged the developmentof vernacular literature.
Born: 2 APR 742, Ingolheim
Acceded: 768
Died: 28 JAN 814, Aachen
Notes:
aka Charles the Great. Had two more mistresses:
Adalind, son Theodric (807-818) a cleric.
unknown, son Richbod (800-844) abbott of St-Riquier.
King of the Lombards 774. Holy Roman Emperor.Father: , Pepin III "The Short" of the Franks, King of Franks, b. 715
Mother: , Bertrada II of LaonMarried CIR 768 to , Himiltude
Child 1: , Pepin the Hunchback, Monk at Prüm, b. CIR 769Married 770 ANNULMENT 771 to , Desideria
Married 771, Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen) to , Hildegarde of Vinzgau
Child 2: , Pepin I of Italy, King of Italy, b. APR 773
Child 3: , Charles the younger, Duke of Ingelheim, b. 772
Child 4: , Louis I the Pious of Aquitaine, King of France, b. AUG 778
Child 5: , Bertha, b. 779
Child 6: , Rotrud, b. CIR 755
Child 7: , Adelaide, b. 773
Child 8: , Lothar, b. 778
Child 9: , Gisela
Child 10: , HildegardMarried 783 to , Fastrada
Child 11: , Theodrada of Argenteuil, Abbess of Argenteuil
Child 12: , HiltrudeMarried 794 to , Luitgard
Associated with , Madelgard
Child 13: , Ruothild of Faremoutiers, Abbess of FaremoutiersAssociated with , Gersvind
Child 14: , AdaltrudeAssociated with , Regina
Child 15: , Drogo of Metz, Bishop of Metz, b. 801
Child 16: , Hugh of St. Quentin, Abott of St. Quentin, b. 802Charlemagne, in Latin Carolus Magnus (Charles the Great) (742-814), kingof the Franks (768-814) and Emperor of the Romans (800-14), who led hisFrankish armies to victory over numerous other peoples and establishedhis rule in most of western and central Europe. He was the best-known andmost influential king in Europe in the Middle Ages.
Early Years
Charlemagne was born probably in Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle), on April 2,742, the son of the Frankish king Pepin the Short and the grandson ofCharles Martel. In 751 Pepin dethroned the last Merovingian king andassumed the royal title himself. He was crowned by Pope Stephen II in754. Besides anointing Pepin, Pope Stephen anointed both Charlemagne andhis younger brother Carloman.
Within the year Pepin invaded Italy to protect the pope against theLombards, and in 756 he again had to rush to the pope's aid. From 760 on,Pepin's main military efforts went into the conquest of Aquitaine, thelands south of the Loire River. Charlemagne accompanied his father onmost of these expeditions.Campaigns
When Pepin died in 768, the rule of his realms was to be shared betweenhis two sons. Charlemagne sought an alliance with the Lombards bymarrying (770) the daughter of their king, Desiderius (reigned 757-774).In 771 Carloman died suddenly. Charlemagne then seized his territories,but Carloman's heirs took refuge at the court of Desiderius. By that timeCharlemagne had repudiated his wife, and Desiderius was no longerfriendly. In 772, when Pope Adrian I appealed to Charlemagne for helpagainst Desiderius, the Frankish king invaded Italy, deposed hiserstwhile father-in-law (774), and himself assumed the royal title. Hethen journeyed to Rome and reaffirmed his father's promise to protectpapal lands. As early as 772 Charlemagne had fought onslaughts of theheathen Saxons on his lands. Buoyed by his Italian success, he now (775)embarked on a campaign to conquer and Christianize them. That campaignhad some initial success but was to drag on for 30 years, in which timehe conducted many other campaigns as well. He fought in Spain in 778; onthe return trip his rear guard, led by Roland, was ambushed, a storyimmortalized in The Song of Roland. In 788 he subjected the Bavarians tohis rule, and between 791 and 796 Charlemagne's armies conquered theempire of the Avars (corresponding roughly to modern Hungary and Austria).Coronation
Having thus established Frankish rule over so many other peoples,Charlemagne had in fact built an empire and become an emperor. Itremained only for him to add the title. On Christmas Day, in 800,Charlemagne knelt to pray in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. Pope Leo IIIthen placed a crown upon his head, and the people assembled in the churchacclaimed him the great, pacific emperor of the Romans.
Charlemagne's biographer, Einhard, reported that the king was surprisedby this coronation and that had he known it was going to happen, he wouldnot have gone into the church that day. This report has led to muchspeculation by historians. Charlemagne probably desired and expected toget the imperial title and he subsequently used it. In 813 he designatedhis sole surviving son, Louis, as his successor, and personally crownedhim.Administration
Charlemagne established a more permanent royal capital than had any ofhis predecessors. His favorite residence from 794 on was atAix-la-Chapelle. He had a church and a palace constructed there, based inpart on architectural borrowings from Ravenna and Rome. At his court hegathered scholars from all over Europe, the most famous being the Englishcleric Alcuin of York, whom he placed in charge of the palace school.
Administration of the empire was entrusted to some 250 royaladministrators called counts. Charlemagne issued hundreds of decrees,called capitularies, dealing with a broad range of topics from judicialand military matters to monasteries, education, and the management ofroyal estates.
The empire did not expand after 800; indeed, already in the 790s theseacoasts and river valleys experienced the first, dreaded visits of theVikings. Charlemagne ordered a special watch against them in everyharbor, but with little effect. He died before their full, destructiveforce was unleashed on the empire.Evaluation
Charlemagne is important not only for the number of his victories and thesize of his empire, but for the special blend of tradition and innovationthat he represented. On the one hand, he was a traditional Germanicwarrior, who spent most of his adult life fighting. In the Saxoncampaigns he imposed baptism by the sword, and he retaliated againstrebels with merciless slaughter. On the other hand, he placed his immensepower and prestige at the service of Christian doctrine, the monasticlife, the teaching of Latin, the copying of books, and the rule of law.His life, held up as a model to most later kings, thus embodied thefusion of Germanic, Roman, and Christian cultures that became the basisof European civilization.Contributed by:
Lester K. LittleFurther Reading
Lamb, Harold. Charlemagne: The Legend and the Man. Doubleday, 1954.Absorbing picture of the man and his efforts to unify and improve hisrealm.
