Charlemagne. Карл I (Великиий, король франков) - Иностранные языки - Скачать бесплатно
World History I
HST 218 – 102
Charlemagne.
By: Vlad Exxxx
Instructor: Mr. James Krokar
DePaul University
November 18, 2002
The happiness and prosperity of the citizens
is the only legitimate object of government.
- Thomas Jefferson
Sometimes one great man is all it takes to change the course of
history around for a nation, a civilization, or even the entire world.
Luckily for the proponents of its proponents, it is hard to disagree with
the theory of “persona magna.” The world has seen the historical
repercussions of the distinguished exploits of such men as Julius Caesar,
Alexander the Great, and Abraham Lincoln. The remarkable accomplishments of
Charlemagne undeniably earn him a place among the most triumphant
individuals in history.
Charlemagne was born into the family of the Mayor of the Palace in the
court of King Childeric. Despite the lack of royal ancestry, Charles’
father, Pepin was the true ruler of the Franks until the eventual
deposition of impotent Childeric, at which time Pepin was named the
official monarch. Upon Pepin’s demise, the state, which Pepin had
gloriously expanded, was passed on to Charles and his brother Carloman who
ruled jointly for some three years, and after Carloman’s death, Charles
became the King of the Franks (Einhard 27).
The reign of Charlemagne was a most glorious one. During his forty-
five years in power, Charles distinguished himself as a successful
conqueror, an imposing sovereign, an able diplomat, and an active advocate
of learning. His conquests doubled the empire he inherited, his masterful
diplomacy helped him establish strategic alliances with neighbors, and his
appreciation for knowledge and scholarship sparked a “Carolingian
Renaissance” (Painter 5), a period of revival of learning, while popular
education was waning in Europe during the early Middle Ages.
For the purpose of determining the medieval Franks’ view of an ideal
ruler, Einhard’s positively biased biography of Charlemagne is the best
source for information. As pointed out in Sidney Painter’s foreword to the
book, Einhard slants the focus toward the positive aspects, while “passing
over delicately details he considered embarrassing” (Painter 11). As a
result of such omission of most of the unfavorable biographical facts, the
somewhat idealized view of Charlemagne becomes a model of a “perfect King”
as envisioned by the people of his time.
Perhaps the skill most highly valued by Einhard as well as by the
people of the turbulent Middle Ages was the ability to conduct victorious
warfare. After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, the nations that came to
inherit the land were engaged in frequent wars, trying to conquer lands in
order to collect tribute. Clearly, in times like those it was necessary for
a king to be an apt military commander because the welfare of a nation
almost directly depended upon the territory, and therefore the amount of
arable land and natural resources. Einhard dedicates a large portion of the
biography to the history of Charlemagne’s conquests. He mentions Charles’
charisma and outstanding leadership skills. If one were to closely examine
the record of the most famous or most notorious kings in the history of
mankind, the top of the list would be dominated by the warrior kings:
Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Sundiata, Ivan the Terrible, and
others. In today’s world, the violation of other nations’ borders seems if
not outrageous, then at least unethical. But in the Middle Ages, when all
government was done by the sword, the winner was the one who was most adept
with that sword. What difference does it make that Charlemagne could not
read or write if his fifty-three successful conquests brought all of
Christian Western Europe except for Britain, Italy, and Sicily (Painter 5)
to the Franks’ feet? In contrast to Charlemagne’s spectacular example,
Einhard briefly describes the personality of the official king in the time
of Pepin, Charlemagne’s father:
There was nothing left the King to do but to be content with his
name of King, his flowing hair, and long beard, to sit on the throne
and play the ruler, to give ear to the ambassadors that came from all
quarters, and to dismiss them, as if on his own responsibility, in
words that were, in fact, suggested to him, or even imposed upon him
(Einhard 23-24).
If anything had caused Einhard to give mention to such a petty figure
as King Childeric, it must have been the need for an antithesis to contrast
with the marvelous personality of Charlemagne. Fulfilling the duty of a
historian would not explain such a motion because in Einhard’s own
foreword, he indirectly confesses of creating a somewhat biased picture of
his master and benefactor, thereby renouncing the duty and the title of a
historian.
Einhard undertook a considerable effort to discuss Charlemagne’s
positive personal traits: determination and steadfastness to go through
with all his endeavors; strict adherence to justice and readiness to
counteract any “faithless behavior” with righteous vengeance (Einhard 31).
Through Charlemagne’s example, Einhard specifies more valuable character
traits of a worthy ruler: perseverance to withstand whatever comes, without
yielding in the face of adversity or difficulty (Einhard 33).
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