Einhard: the Life of Charlemagne

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Einhard's Life of Charlemagne (B) is the account of the life of Charles the Great (A), one of the most powerful and most famous of all medieval rulers. It was written by the palace official and the close friend of Charles (D). The work recounts Charlemagne’s military successes, describes his personal life, details his achievements in reviving learning and the arts, and depicts one of the defining moments in European history: Charlemagne's coronation as emperor in Rome (C). Charles stands as the founder of both the French and German states. This image of Charlemagne as the builder of the empire undeniably owes a great debt to the portrayal put forward by Einhard in his work the Life of Charlemagne. Einhard, beyond just being a member of the king's court, was indeed a great admirer of Charlemagne. Einhard himself said that he was writing so that the achievements and deeds of Charles would not be forgotten (p. 18). The close relationship between Charles and Einhard presents both positive and negative aspects when it comes to studying the figure of Charlemagne in Einhard’s work. While this close relationship does allow for a better understanding of Charles, it also creates the bias with which Einhard wrote. The author wrote his work as a biography celebrating Charles, rather than as a historical and objective work. There are several elements lacking in Einhard’s representation, things omitted or glossed over which Einhard, being close to Charlemagne, would have known yet chose to leave out. Nevertheless, Einhard’s work is an important source for a study of the figure of Charles. Einhard left out some key elements of Charles’s life. The first and most evident is Charles’s early life. Secondly, the cause of ascension of the Carolingians to the Frankish throne is shifted to Pope Stephen who deposed of Childeric, Merovingian king, and nominated Peppin, who was the mayor
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