Church History · AD 800

Charlemagne Is Crowned Emperor

On Christmas Day in the year 800, Pope Leo III placed a crown on the head of Charlemagne, king of the Franks, in Saint Peter's in Rome. It created a new Western emperor, tied church and empire tightly together, and sparked a revival of learning and Bible copying.

Read it in the Bible: John 18:36 Matthew 22:21

On Christmas Day in AD 800, Charlemagne, king of the Franks, knelt to pray in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. As he rose, Pope Leo III placed a crown on his head, and the crowd shouted that he was emperor of the Romans. For the first time in over three hundred years, Western Europe had an emperor again. The moment bound the church and the state together for centuries, gave birth to what was later called the Holy Roman Empire, and launched a revival of learning that saved many books, including the Bible.

Who Was Charlemagne?

Charlemagne means Charles the Great. He was born around 747 or 748 and became king of the Franks in 768. The Franks lived in what is now France, Germany and the Low Countries. Charlemagne spent most of his reign at war, and he won a lot. He conquered the Lombards in northern Italy in 774 and spent about thirty years fighting the Saxons in Germany. By the end, he ruled most of Western Europe.

He was tall, energetic and very hands on. His biographer Einhard says he loved to swim, kept writing tablets under his pillow to practice his letters, and never quite got the hang of it. That is oddly comforting for anyone with bad handwriting.

Why Was Charlemagne Crowned on Christmas Day 800?

In 799, enemies of Pope Leo III attacked him in the streets of Rome. He escaped and fled north to Charlemagne for protection. Charlemagne's family had long been protectors of the popes, so the next year he came to Rome to restore order. Leo cleared himself of the charges against him, and then, on Christmas Day, he crowned Charlemagne.

Historians still debate who planned what. Einhard claimed Charlemagne said he would not have entered the church that day if he had known what the pope intended. Many historians doubt he was truly surprised. Either way, the coronation sent a message. The pope had crowned the emperor, which suggested the church gave the empire its blessing. The emperor in Constantinople, who saw himself as the only Roman emperor, was not pleased.

Was Charlemagne the First Holy Roman Emperor?

Sort of. Charlemagne's title was emperor of the Romans. The name Holy Roman Empire came along centuries later. Many historians date the empire itself to Otto I, who was crowned in 962. Still, the idea of a Christian empire in the West, blessed by the pope, began with Charlemagne, and later emperors looked back to him as their model. The empire lasted in one form or another until 1806.

What Was the Carolingian Renaissance?

Charlemagne could barely write, but he loved learning. He brought scholars to his court at Aachen, the most famous being Alcuin of York, an English monk and teacher. In 789 Charlemagne ordered that schools be set up at monasteries and cathedrals so clergy could read and teach properly. This revival is called the Carolingian Renaissance, after the name of his family.

Better Bibles. Copies of the Latin Vulgate had collected many copying mistakes. Alcuin led an effort to produce a cleaner text, and his Bibles were copied widely. You can read about the Vulgate in the Jerome article on this site.
Saving the classics. Monks copied ancient Latin books. Many Roman writings survive today only because a Carolingian scribe copied them.
A new handwriting. Scribes developed a clear, rounded script called Carolingian minuscule, with spaces between words. It is the ancestor of the lowercase letters you are reading right now.

What Was the Dark Side of Charlemagne's Reign?

An honest article has to say it. Charlemagne spread Christianity by the sword. In his wars with the Saxons, he forced many to be baptized on pain of death, and in 782 he had thousands of Saxon prisoners executed at Verden. Even some in his own court objected. Alcuin wrote that faith must be freely chosen and that people should be taught before they are baptized.

Alcuin was right. You can't force someone to believe. Jesus said His kingdom does not advance by fighting.

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm." John 18:36

How Did Charlemagne Shape Church and State?

After 800, Western Christians lived with two powers, the pope and the emperor. Each claimed to be appointed by God, and they argued for centuries over who was in charge. Those fights shaped events such as the struggle over who could appoint bishops, which you can read about in the article on the cardinals and Gregory VII.

Charlemagne's court also pushed to add the word filioque, meaning and the Son, to the Nicene Creed. Pope Leo III agreed with the teaching but refused to change the creed, and he reportedly had the original creed engraved on silver shields in Rome. The word was added in Rome later anyway, and it became one of the big issues in the Great Schism of 1054.

Why It Matters for You Today

Charlemagne's story shows both sides of power. When rulers used it to build schools and copy Bibles, a lot of good came from it. When they used it to force faith, it did deep harm. Jesus gave a simple rule for keeping the two in their places.

"Caesar's," they answered. So Jesus told them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Matthew 22:21

The next time you read a printed lowercase letter or a carefully copied Bible, you can thank a few monks at Charlemagne's court.

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Questions People Ask

When was Charlemagne crowned emperor?

Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day, December 25, 800, in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Was Charlemagne the first Holy Roman Emperor?

He was the first emperor in the West since the fall of Rome, and later emperors saw him as the founder of their line. The name Holy Roman Empire came later, and many historians date that empire from Otto I in 962.

What was the Carolingian Renaissance?

It was a revival of learning under Charlemagne and his family. He set up schools, brought scholars like Alcuin of York to his court, improved copies of the Latin Bible, saved classical books, and helped create the clear handwriting that became our lowercase letters.

Did Charlemagne force people to become Christians?

Yes, in his wars against the Saxons he forced many to accept baptism under threat of death and executed thousands of prisoners at Verden in 782. Some of his own advisers, including Alcuin, argued that faith must be freely chosen.

Sources

← The Council in Trullo and the Orthodox Bible The Masoretes Guard the Hebrew Bible →

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