Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness

thrust upon them.

William Shakespeare
Do you agree/disagree/partially agree that Charlemagne was an example of
all three?
After the Roman Empire fell in 476, many barbarian groups settled into
Romes old territory. One of these groups, a Germanic tribe known as the
Franks, moved across the Rhine River into Gaul, or modern-day France and
established a kingdom. They picked Clovis, who was a descendent of
Merovich, a warrior thought to have aided the Romans at the battle of
Chalons, as their leader. Clovis successors were called Merovingians, named
after Merovich. During Clovis twenty-nine year rule from 482-511, he forced
the last Roman commander from Gaul, defeated other Germanic tribes at
Alamanni, codified the Salian Laws, and became a powerful ally of the
church. After his death, his kingdom was divided, according to tradition,
among his four sons. However, they were incompetent rulers, thus earning
the name Do-Nothing Kings. Because they neglected their duties, the
responsibility fell to their assistants, called Mayors of the Palace. Eventually,
this position became so important it was passed from father to son; the
Mayors of the Palace became known as the Carolingians. One of the most
important Mayors of the Palace was Charles Martel, who defeated the Moors
at the Battle of Tours in 732, and was king in all but name. After his death,
Pepin III, his son and heir, made a deal with the pope. The church needed
help defeating the Lombards, and looked to Pepin, who defeated them. In
turn, the pope crowned Pepin king. After Pepins death, he was succeeded by

his son, Charles, who became known as Charlemagne, or Charles the Great.
In his forty-six year-long rule from 768814, Charlemagne exhibited all
aspects of greatness; he was born into a successful family and was directed
by outside influences, but also achieved greatness through his personal
achievements.
Being born into a powerful family was partially responsible for
Charlemagnes greatness. His father, Pepin was a powerful ruler, having
crowned himself king. Pepin also began the Aquitanian War, a conflict that
would take many years of fighting to resolve. Pepin also expanded the
Frankish church and continued to contain the Moors, something Charles
Martel had started. In addition, Charlemagnes grandfather, Charles Martel,
was a very influential Mayor of the Palace, and defeated both the Moors and
Saracens; he also united all of the Franks. Charlemagnes familys status set
him up for many of his personal accomplishments.
Charlemagnes military conquests and educational reforms are proof of
his greatness. One of his first deeds was to end the Aquitanian War, a long
struggle his father Pepin had started. He defeated Lupus, Duke of Gascony,
who gave up his territory to be ruled by Charlemagne. After the Aquitanian
War, Charlemagne led the Lombard War, which started in 772. The pope at
the time, Hadrian, persuaded Charlemagne to take action against the
Lombards. During his campaign, Charlemagne not only drove the Lombards
from his own territory, but from Italy too. By doing this, he restored power to
Rome; he put his son Pepin in charge of the new territory, spreading

Charlemagnes power and influence. At the same time, in 772, Charlemagne

participated in the Saxon War, a thirty-two year-long conflict. The Franks
believed the Saxons were worshipping the wrong religion and worshipping
devils. A cycle began- Charlemagne would defeat the Saxons, make an
agreement with them, only to have it broken after a short amount of time.
Eventually the issue was solved in 804, with the Saxons agreeing to convert
to Christianity for good and to be ruled by Charlemagne. By defeating the
Saxons, Charlemagne added further to his already expansive empire. In
addition, Charlemagne also conquered the Britons, people who lived on the
sea coast. When they refused to do his bidding, he sent an army against
them and took hostages; the defeated Britons promised to do whatever he
asked. Apart from military campaigns, Charlemagnes greatness is also
attributed to his lasting reforms in learning. He promoted free public
education, and also encouraged a uniform religious practice and cultural
development. During this time of literature and art, Carolingian miniscule, a
form of writing similar to modern writing, also developed. Charlemagne also
standardized the currency, making trade easier.
Although Charlemagne was born great and achieved greatness, part of
his greatness was also due to influence by factors out of his control. When
Pepin died, he was succeeded by his two sons, Charles and Carolman. They
split the kingdom and ruled together until Carolman died. Soon after
Carolmans death, the Franks elected Charlemagne leader. This was an
action decided not by Charlemagne, but forced upon him by the people.

Another example of this is the crowning of Christmas Day 800. In 799, Pope
Leo was accused of immorality. The Pope appealed to Charlemagne for help,
and Charlemagne answered his plea, although he took his time. In November
of 800, Charlemagne entered Rome, with banners flying and crowds
cheering. On December 23, Leo appeared before the people, swearing that
he had no knowledge of the crimes he was being charged with, and the case
was dissolved with Charlemagnes help. Two days later, when Charlemagne
appeared at the church to say his prayers, the pope crowned him Emperor.
Charlemagnes biographer Einhard explains in his biography that
Charlemagne was unwilling: he at first had such an aversion that he
declared that he would not have set foot in the Church the day that they
were conferred. Charlemagnes unwillingness to bear this title shows that
the position was forced onto him, and not chosen of his free will.
Charlemagnes greatness was attributed to his birth into a powerful
family, his military conquests and educational reforms, and the influence of
others upon him. His reign unified the fragmented groups of Western Europe
for a short amount of time, and provided a temporary peace. However, after
his death, due to his incompetent successors, the empire he built crumbled.
Although his empire dissolved, many of his achievements, such as the
Carolingian Renaissance, remained and would continue to shape Europe for
the years that followed.