Charlemagne

Charlemagne (Charles the Great; 742?–814), King of the Franks, founder of the Holy Roman Empire. He waged war against the Saxons for 32 years, eventually compelling them to adopt Christianity. Crowned Emperor in Rome by Pope Leo III (800), Charlemagne ruled over a kingdom that included most of the lands that are now France, West Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. It also included about half of Italy. The establishment of his reign sealed the break between the remnants of the Roman Empire and Byzantium, and thus the split between Roman Catholicism and the Greek Orthodox church. Charlemagne fostered a rich culture that inaugurated the Carolingian Renaissance.

See also: Holy Roman Empire.