All of the majesty and longevity of Charlemagne in a letter opener! Charlemagne (742/747 – 28 January 814) was King of the Franks from 768 to his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdoms into a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800, in an attempted revival of the Roman Empire in the West. Through his foreign conquests and internal reforms, Charlemagne helped define Western Europe and the Middle Ages. His rule is also associated with the Carolingian Renaissance, a revival of art, religion, and culture.
His original name in the Old Frankish language was never recorded, but early instances of his name in Latin read "Carolus" or "Karolus". The son of King Pippin the Short and Bertrada of Laon, he succeeded his father and co-ruled with his brother Carloman I. The latter got on badly with Charlemagne, but war was prevented by the sudden death of Carloman in 771. Charlemagne continued the policy of his father towards the papacy and became its protector, removing the Lombards from power in Italy, and waging war on the Saracens, who menaced his realm from Spain. It was during one of these campaigns that Charlemagne experienced the worst defeat of his life, at Roncesvalles (778). He also campaigned against the peoples to his east, especially the Saxons, and after a protracted war subjected them to his rule. By converting them to Christianity, he integrated them into his realm and thus paved the way for the later Ottonian dynasty.
Today he is not only regarded as the founding father of both France and Germany, but as 'the father of Europe': his empire consisted of most of western Europe, and the so-called "Carolingian renaissance" which he fostered encouraged a vast amount of political, spiritual and cultural output by laymen and churchmen, that would forge a common European identity. The city of Aachen has since 1949 bestowed a Karlspreis der Stadt Aachen, "in remembrance of the great founder of western civilisation". Overall Length: 9 5/8"
Weight: 5oz
Handle Length: 2"
Blade Length: 7 1/2"
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Charlemagne Sword Letter Opener
