Charles the Great popularly known as Charlemagne, born in 1972, was the son of Bertrada Pepin the Short. Charlemagne was born out of the wedlock and many people though that he was illegitimate. He grew up to become the king of the Franks and between 800 and 814 he was the emperor of the West (Einhard & Notker, 42). His strong believe in religion accelerated him to form the Holy Roman Empire; an empire that grew to be quite different from other ancient empires in Europe and the world over. He additionally strengthened the status of political and European economic life. Throughout his reign, he promoted the cultural revival popularly branded Carolingian Renaissance.
Charlemagne’s actions were greatly influenced by his desires to expand his empire. As a leader, he wanted to gain more subjects and consequently military strength since that was of great importance during his times. He was able to fight other empires and in most cases conquered them due to his strong military. Charlemagne’s expedition could fight almost any army and engaged in the act knowing that their degree or possibility of success was so high. For instance, he fought against the Saxons for many years before finally defeating and Christianizing them.
Apparently his strong believe in Christianity also influenced his actions. As a Christian he strongly believed in God and was always certain that God would stand with him and his empire when facing any challenges. "Things went on thus for one or two capitularies, or a greater number until, with God's help, all the necessities of the occasion were regulated” (Einhard & Notker, 79). He believed that Islamic was a rival religion due to the values that it upheld and propagated. To him, it was a religion that had to be ousted considering the importance and value that he attached to the church. This is basically the reason that motivated him to fight the Muslims and conquer them. He wanted to overthrow Islamic leaders, take their subjects and convert them to Christianity. He strongly engaged in the war believing that it was a holy war. Though his expedition against the Muslims in Spain in 778 failed, he did not give up but was rejuvenated and in 788 he successfully annexed Bavaria. Historically, the prowess of a leader was measured by his ability to expand is territory as well as his military prowess. It therefore gives the impression that Charlemagne wanted to prove to Europe and the entire world the fact that he was military strong and had the ability to fight and defeat other smaller empires.
The desire to see the whole of Europe united under one religion was another factor that enthused Charlemagne’s actions throughout his reign. He had passion in forming a Europe that is united under one decision. He strongly believed that a united people could achieve so much as a nation. Charlemagne is presented as a man of great Christian devotion and a great warrior. The book is peppered by classical and biblical texts that compare Charlemagne’s leadership with that of King David in the bible. Just like King David, Charlemagne totally relied on God and made all his decisions with the will of God in mind. He goes out of his way and catches wicked bandits, pagans and bishops red-handed. His main intension for doing this was to reveal the injustices that were silently going on under the cover of religion. He was out to stop this and ensure that people were not fed on religious trash.
His dressing code was a little bit convoluted and one finds it hard to understand how he was like. Even Einhard who had a close association with him had extensive first-hand knowledge of the king and his exploits finds it hard to understand Charlemagne. This too might signify the complexity of the life he lived as a leader firmly grounded on religion. Though to many people his life seemed so complicated, he lived with a resilient desire to reserve many political rights and resuscitate the culture of the people in his empire as well as Europe.
Moreover, Charlemagne had a great desire to reform the way of leadership and governance. It is elucidated that Charlemagne stood for the idea that governments should not take undue advantage of innocent subjects for the purpose of benefiting themselves or meeting their own selfish desires. Devotedness to roles and serving the needs of the people is further explained as one of the other factors behind Charlemagne’s actions and the various decisions he made as a leader.
Those who were deliberating about any matter within his jurisdiction were expected to adhere to his rules and more importantly act as per the willing of God. Additionally, he believed in a leadership that respected the citizens. This is the reason why he so readily and willingly interacted with the ecclesiastics as well as the seculars.
In conclusion, it is apparent that Charlemagne was prominently motivated by his desire to unite the people, expansion plan, religious belief as well as his stand in good leadership. These factors guided his actions and made him a great leader as we know him today.
Work cited
Einhard, and Notker. Two Lives of Charlemagne. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1969. Print.
