Charlemagne: A Biography

by Derek Wilson

Book Overview

An incisive and absorbing biography of the legendary emperor who bridged ancient and modern Europe and singlehandedly altered the course of Western history. Charlemagne was an extraordinary figure: an ingenious military strategist, a wise but ruthless leader, a cunning politician, and a devout believer who ensured the survival of Christianity in the West. He also believed himself above the rules of the church, siring bastards across Europe and coldly...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307274802
• ISBN13: 9780307274809
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Charlemagne

Excellent work

Efficient biography and exploration of the origins of the concept of Europe

I can wholeheartedly recommend this book. The idea that Charlemagne was responsible for the creation of a concept of a unified Europe that is embodied in today's EU is not original, as is witnessed by the book "Charlemagne: Father of a Continent" by Alessandro Barbero and Allan Cameron, released in 2004. (Full disclosure: I have not read Barbero and Cameron's book.) However, Barbero and Cameron take more than 400 pages, where Wilson takes just over 200. Charlemagne was lucky in that his brother, who inherited half of the France of the time, died young, thus giving him control of a unified France, or Carolingian Empire, which he could use as a base to push his western border out to include Saxony, Bavaria, and Lombardy. He did so in cooperation with the Pope, with the goals of spreading Christianity to the heathen, and creating a Christian Europe. He was also lucky in that he lived into his 70's, much longer than the vast majority of his contemporaries, which allowed him the time to accomplish much in terms of the unification of this territory and its culture. At the same time, he allowed a good deal of regional autonomy, which contributed to the stability of his conquest. In Charlemagne's time, French nobility did not pass on their territory to the oldest son, but split it up among all their progeny; so when Charlemagne died, his conquests were not permanent. One of his sons, Louis "this Pious", outlived the others and so kept most of the territory. However, the Germanic peoples split from France soon thereafter and thus was born the German / French rivalry that roiled the Continent thereafter. In all the turbulence that followed, the author shows how the ideal of a unified Europe never died. Wilson tells the story of Charlemagne's life as well as analyzing his impact up through the present day. Great read.

Charlemagne: Man, Emperor and Myth

Europe would not be Europe as we know it if Charlemagne had not come along, and Derek Wilson has done a wonderful job in bringing the important ruler to life. We see Charlemagne as man, emperor and myth. The first section illustrates very well the type of person that Charlemagne was, which transitions very well into him as ruler. In many respects the two could be the same sections since he ruled because of the type of man he was, and the man made him the ruler that he was. In both respects we see his conquests as he spread the "faith" and enhanced his status over vast amounts of territory. In the end Wilson shows Charlemagne as a forceful personality - bordering on to mythical status during his life - that was the glue that held his empire together, fragmenting almost immediately after he passed away. The third section, though, is very interesting in and of itself. It is a very good analysis of Charlemagne The Myth throughout the years after his death to present day. Wilson's ability to transition fluidly from Frederick Barbarossa to Louis XIV, to Napoleon to Hitler, and others in between, allows the reader to get a very full account of how much Charlemagne affected Europe's governments and to how it affects Europe today. Any lover of history should definitely read something on Charlemagne, and Derek Wilson's biography is a very good place to start. I would recommend. 4.5 stars.

Filling an important gap

This short but thoroughly engaging little book fills a niche that seems to have been overlooked for far too long - a biography of one of those legends that seems too distant to ever separate legend from fact. Mr. Wilson does a fine job of giving us the details of what we know about this king who was, perhaps, the dominant force in western European culture. Whether you agree with the premise or not, the impact of Charlemagne on the west can hardly be dismissed. This volume includes a glossy photographs and artwork in the center. The begginning of the book includes a genealogy of the Carolingians along with a timetable for chronological placement of events and people. The writing is clear and enjoyable. A worthy addition to any history or biography library.

Much better than I expected

I found Derek Wilson's book on Charlemagne fascinating, not so much for the life of Charlemagne which is interesting, but for his ability to put Charlemagne into context. The biographical part of this book is quite short and does not provide a huge amount of detail. Rather it is a well-written review of the life of the true and mythical figure that has become Charlemagne. Wilson's ability to put the life and myth of Charlemagne into context is excellent. It begins with the placing of Charlemagne into the battles and debates of his own life. It continues through the immediate successors of Charlemagne and the split of his "empire." His chapters on the use of Charlemagne in literature and the other arts after his death is fascinating. The use of Charlemagne for dynastic legitimacy is also made clear on multiple levels- beginning with the political and religious. The book sheds light on many facets of the middle ages and early renaissance through these explorations. As a result I was left with a few overwhelming impressions. First the vibrancy of a period commonly referred to as the dark ages. Second, the amazing ability for idea to travel even before modern printing, easy roads, and the paper-let alone the internet. Man's ability to expand his horizons, or impair them, becomes apparent. The book also brought up many questions for future exploration in my mind, such as the role of Byzantium, the fourth crusade, the establishment of dynastic power post-Charlemagne and the papacy and reformation. I consider this a positive. In the end, to summarize, I recommend this book to those interested in Charlemagne, his legacy, and the development of a modern Europe.

They've been thinking about this for over 1000 years!

The nations of Europe have been homes to various wars for centuries, until a bunch of the countries got together after the Second World War to create a common economic market, and perhaps prevent any more of these conflicts. It created a form of European identity that has now become the European Union. But the *idea* of Europe, a unified area of diverse cultures that nevertheless falls under the rule of one authority, can be traced back to Charlemagne, the Frankish emperor of the late 8th and early 9th centuries. In his new book, Charlemagne, Derek Wilson examines the emperor's life, but he also examines the myth of Charlemagne through the ages. He looks at how subsequent rulers have used the Charlemagne for their own ends, and how his attempts to conquer and hold together as much of Europe as possible, to have one Europe, has been a precursor to what we have now. Many rulers have tried to duplicate his achievements, but none of them have done so as completely, or perhaps as fairly, as Charlemagne did, even if it was done through conquest. Charlemagne is a fairly short book, but it does pack a lot of information into it. Wilson begins by giving a short history of Europe up until the time of Charlemagne's birth, including an interesting set of maps, one of which is the European Economic Community in 1957 and one that is the extent of Charlemagne's empire in 814. The two look very similar, with only the southern part of Italy not being included in Charlemagne's area. Food for thought, but Wilson goes on to say that, while Charlemagne's story demonstrates this desire for unity, it is basically a story, full of military actions, barbarian invasions, and political/religious intrigue. His father and grandfather began all of this, but it was Charlemagne's force of personality that really made it work. This introduction is a good one, setting the scene in a very interesting manner but never losing sight of the fact that many stories have been added to Charlemagne's over the years to support what somebody wants to do. The whole thing is a story, and we don't have a lot of primary sources about his life. Those we do have could very well be biased, as the most prominent biography of the time was written during the reign of one of Charlemagne's sons, and it really makes the son look good. Contemporary biographies seem to gloss over military defeats, with scarcely a mention of the disastrous foray into Moslem Spain, for example. What's even more interesting is that a full third of the book doesn't talk about Charlemagne himself, but about how his image has carried on through the years since his death. We see the beginnings of it as the Empire falls apart shortly after his death, as his sons just don't have the forcefulness that their father had. The Empire does survive through one of his son's reign, but it doesn't survive for long. Wilson uses this to show how much the idea of Europe was a personal thing at the time, with the various warring factions tha