Charlemange as a ruler and diplomat - Essay Example

Charlemagne as a ruler and diplomat Charles the Great (742?-814), better known to subsequent history as Charlemagne, is the founder of the first Christian Empire in the West and he is immensely popular as a ruler and diplomat. Charlemagne started his rule as King of the Franks in 768 and was crowned the Emperor of the Roman Empire by Pope Leo III in 800, which for the interim made him a rival of the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople. He established the Christian Empire in Western Europe which existed for more than thousand years.

As Cunningham and Reich maintain, “Charlemagne was an able administrator of lands brought under his subjugation. He modified and adapted the classic Roman administrative machinery to fit the needs of his own kingdom. Charlemagne’s rule was essentially feudal – structured in a hierarchical fashion, with lesser rulers bound by acts of fealty to higher ones.” (Cunningham and Reich, 2009, pp. 185-6). Therefore, it is fundamental to comprehend that Charlemagne was a great ruler who brought back the glory and legacy of the Roman Empire in a substantial way.

It is also essential to relate here that Charlemagne, as a Christian ruler, was greatly concerned with improving the administration of the empire as well as influencing the church affairs. As a ruler and diplomat, Charlemagne holds a legacy which lives even in the modern world and the Carolingian Empire has played a crucial role in the history of the Roman Catholic Church as well as the history of the Western Europe. Significantly, the quality of Charlemagne’s rule contributed to his legacy and reputation as the most powerful Christian ruler of the Western Europe during the medieval age.

“A defender of the papacy and a patron of learning, he helped lay the foundations for medieval European civilization… The Carolingian Empire profoundly influenced the history of western Europe and the Roman Catholic Church.” (Testa, Lemoine, and Strickland, 2001, p. 35). In short, the legacy of Charlemagne as a great ruler and diplomat remains even today, and his rule has created a significant episode in the history of Europe and the Catholic Church. References Cunningham, Lawrence S. and Reich, John J. (2009). Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities.

Boston: Cengage Learning. pp. 185-6. Testa, David W. Del., Lemoine, Florence., and Strickland, John. (2001). Government leaders, military rulers, and political activists. Greenwood Publishing Group.