Biography
In the biography of Karl I, the great wars and educational reforms, cruelty in relation to enemies and tremendous love for native and relatives are surprising. Not every ruler in world history was destined to become the hero of the folk epic and get the honorary title of the Great.Childhood and youth
The future emperor was born at all in the monarch of the family, which would be logical to imagine. His father was a court dignitorn Majort Pipin short, the heir to the ancient kind of Caroling, who also performed mayoridomas at the French yard. The mother of Charles Burtrrad, the daughter of the influential graph of Lansky Calibert, was to become an ambitious and pollized spouse. She actively participated in politics and was obsessed with the idea of uniting with neighboring powers.
By that time, the power of the ruling Meroving dynasty was so weakened that the nearest comrades of the king Majord was managed by state affairs, and the monarch set a signature and nodded his head at meetings with foreign ambassadors. In 751, Pipin is short, having enlisted with the support of Pope of Roman, finally deprived the last of the throne's Meroving and proclaimed himself the first Caroling ruler. Also on the kingdom of his sons Karl and Karloman. The monarch deprived of power was sent to the monastery, and dad in gratitude received land in the center of Italy.
Karl grew up a strong, active and inquisitive boy, showed non-cold abilities in the teaching and was distinguished by a calmly accumulated character. These qualities have made the boy's father's favorite, and from twelve years, Pipin took him with him in military campaigns and teaching together state-owned state cases.
In 768, Pipin unexpectedly died from the water and the kingdom, according to the will, was divided between the sons. Carlo got the Northern and Western lands, and Carloman - the central and southeastern part. Immediately after this, the relationship between the brothers would deteriorate, and the unfinites tried to embroil them. The case went to war, and only the efforts of the mother were not allowed to flare the internecine conflict.
The situation was resolved by itself: in 771, Karloman suddenly died. Karl sent him to the widow with the children away to Italy and immediately joined the lands of his brother to his own, proclaiming himself with the united king of francs. Thus, he became the most powerful ruler in Europe. He belonged to the majority of the modern territory of France, Belgium, almost all Germany with Austria part of it and part of the Netherlands. Therefore, Karl immediately engaged in strengthening his possessions, in parallel, attaching neighboring territories to them.
War hiking
He began his board with a war with saksami, which, in total, lasted 33 years. Saxe were pagans and constantly disturbed francs with their cruel insidious raids. In 772, Karl with his army captured their fortress Eresburg and destroyed the main shrine - idol irminsul. After that, a truce was concluded for a while, and the king moved to Italy, who then belonged to Langobard and led by a test desider. Langobard was constantly attempted on papal lands and threatened to capture Rome, so Dad asked for help from Karl.
The king of the conqueror in this war was also its interest, therefore, interaging with the daughter of Dezerria and sending it to his father, he entered the war. The path of his troops was lying through the Alps, and, having realized that Langobard had strengthened the pass, Karl unexpectedly went to them from the rear. It sowed a panic in the troops of Desidery, and he was forced to retreat to the capital of Langobard Pavia, hoping to strengthen the city and sit down in the siege. Six months later, the capital fell, and the desidery surrendered to the mercy of the winner. He was captive and was tonsured to the monks, and Karl declared himself as the king of captured lands and introduced the Francian Board in them. In Rome, the winner was met with the greatest honors, and Pope Adrian I organized him a solemn reception.
In 776, Dad appealed to Carlo for military assistance. The son of Desidery entered into conspiracy with the Byzantines and intended to take the throne. Soon the uprising was suppressed, and the rebels are shaken.
After the Italian campaign, Karl began again for Saxony. While the king fought in Italy, Saksa beat Eresburg. Therefore, Karl decided to erect a powerful defensive line on the border with Saxony and built the Fortress of Karlsburg, which was designed to defend the Francian lands from the raids of the enemy. In parallel, the local appeal of the local population in the Christian faith was accompanied, sometimes accompanied by fierce resistance.
In 777, Karla arrived at the request of help Governor Zaragoza. The king has long planned to expand its southern borders, and taking advantage of the reason, went to Pyrenees. This trip was not very successful. In the Ronselvan Gorge, the Baska organized his soldiers an ambush and staged a bloody side. In this battle, Karl Roland's nephew was killed. This episode is based on the legendary epic "Song of Roland". Nevertheless, Karl still managed to win the area of the territory at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains, who called the Spanish brand.
Upon returning Karl, they waited for unpleasant lead: insidious saksa forgot all their promises and again unleashed the war. Therefore, the king prepared his new campaign to Saxony in Saxony. He was able to pacify the enemies on time and put the people loyal to him loyal to him at the head of the administrative districts, but a rebellion broke out in Saxony.
At the same time, he baptized his four-year-old Son Pipina and declared him by the King of Langobard.
In 788, Karl joined Bavaria to him, forcing his cousin Tassilon to abandon the duchy, accusing him in a conspiracy and placing in the monastery.
Returning to Saxony, the king began to suppress the uprising organized by the leader of the pagan resistance by appearance. He dedicated to this for three years, mercilessly destroying recurrent and their dwellings. Soon the rebels requested mercy and surrendered. Vidakind himself came to the king and, having repeatedly, accepted Christianity. It became a turning point in the long and bloody Saxon war.
One of the outstanding achievements of Karl on a military field is considered to be conquered by Avar, or, as they also called, Huns. This war has become the second duration and bloodshed after Saxon and lasted fourteen years. Avar's tribe, several centuries terrorizing the inhabitants of East of Europe, was destroyed, and their lands are attached to the Francian state, having received the name Eastern Brand. All the riches of the awakened by Avara during their existence, went to the winners.
In 799, a tightening war in Saxony was successfully completed. Karl and sons finally defeated Saxons, settling the conquered by the territory by Franks, and the captured Saxons scattered through the territory of the Francian state.
Creating an empire
In 799, the Pope Lion III was overthrown as a result of the conspiracy. He addressed the patronage to Karl and was soon returned to Rome. Local nobility did not have anything, how to accept this situation. During the Christmas Mass Dad in gratitude proclaimed Charles Emperor. Despite the dissatisfaction of the Byzantine rulers, they had to recognize the new title of the ruler of Franks. To compare with them, Karl is attempting to make marriage with the Byzantine Empress Irina, but in the same year she lost power as a result of the palace coup.
The education of the empire has become an essential event for Western Europe, which united the monarch of power and the church, strengthening the influence of the Francian state.
Karl I, being a man's smart, religious and educated, could not but understand the great role of the Church in the development of the state. Therefore, he in every way killed devotees of clergy, generously endowed their monetary and land rewards. In response, they diligently purchased the conquered peoples to the Christian faith, following the careful observance of humility and law.
The era of Karl the Great is called "Caroling Regeneration". He gathered at the court of the most educated people of that time, contributed to the opening of schools, and not only for nobility, but also for the average estate. With it, the ancient chronicles were collected, which corresponded and systematized in special scriptoers under monasteries. Libraries were created, the reform of writing and training system was carried out. With it, abandoned land was mastered, new cities, bridges and roads were built.
The Empire, created by Karl's Great, was inherited after his death the son of Louis and broke out in 843. The cause of the decay was not enough authoritarian power of his heirs, who did not have such outstanding qualities inherent in their great predecessor.
Personal life
Carl I had six wives, three concubines and eighteen children. His first wife became the daughter of King Langobard Dezerria. He sent her to his father before the beginning of the first Italian campaign and soon married the girl of noble origin of the Guillhegard, who gave him three sons (Pipina, Charles and Louis) and three daughters.The king since childhood he taught her sons, horse riding and handling a sword, and also welcomed their grammar classes and accurate sciences. She adored daughters so much that he tried all the time to keep them with him and none married. Yes, and in the sons of Karl's souls did not care, so the missing end of Pipina and Charles became a real tragedy for him.
Death
By the end of the life of Karl turned into a patient of a stray old man. Feeling an ambulance, he coroned Louis of pious and publicly declared the heir.
Soon after, he was cold on the hunt and died at seventy-second year of life, at the forty-seventh year of the board. His body was solemnly reproached in the main cathedral of the city of Aachen.