Charlemagne and his world

by Friedrich Heer

The name Charlemagne is a corruption of the Latin Carolus Magnus -- Charles the Great. The title was given to Charles, king of the Franks, by the clerics of his entourage. As Charlemagne he became, during the Middle Ages, a fabulous symbol of kingship and chivalry. More poems were written about him than any other king, except the somewhat less historical Arthur. There can be no doubt of his claim to greatness. It is impossible to imagine what European history would have been like without his campaigns, his diplomacy and his imagination -- he shaped its course for a thousand years. It is a mark of his historical importance that he is a national hero of both France and Germany, a unique achievement. - p. 9.