Europe
around 800 (public domain map), Public Domain via
Wikimedia Commons.
As
mentioned in the St. Patrick post, the rulers of Rome were in charge of Roman state
religions at this time. Rome was still
in its glory days and adding territories to their empire like crazy to rule
over. It was the Emperor Constantine who
was in charge of this acceptance of Christianity as a state religion; however
there is debate as to whether he was an actual “believer.” I don’t wish to get
into a debate; it’s simply background to the Carolingian Period. Constantine was also
responsible for the construction of the first church of the Holy Sepulcher at
Jerusalem and Saint Peter’s in Rome (before it was known as Vatican City). It seems like he was also responsible for a lot of
dissidence in my opinion. This is another
study subject of its own!
The Coronation of
Charlemagne by Rafael, 1516-1517, Fresco, Public Domain via
Wikimedia Commons.
On
Christmas day of 800 AD, Pope Leo III crowned Charles the Great, also known as
Charlemagne, the emperor of Rome. This took place at Saint Peter’s Vatican
Basilica. Charlemagne became the first Holy (Christian) Roman Emperor. As a side note, this crowning wasn’t necessarily accepted
by other empires at this time. Charlemagne’s Latin name was Carolus Magnus from which
“Carolingian” is derived. This period of
time is historically remarkable because of the art, culture and political
ideals that emerged. Now you know, when
you hear Charles the Great, Charlemagne, or Carolus Magnus (aka Carolingian),
they are referring to the same person/point in time.
Equestrian statue of Charlemagne, by
Agostino Cornacchini (1725) — St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican Photo: Myrabella
/ Wikimedia
Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0
& GFDL
Mary
B.
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