Charlemagne

Charlemagne is born

Apr 2, 742

Charlemagne was born on April 2, 742 by Bertrada of Laon and Peppin

The Death of Pepin

768

The death of Pepin the Short was a casualty by war due to campaigning in the Germanic regions. His reign was succeeded by his powerful and tactical son Charlemagne; however, there was twenty years or so of discussion whether Carloman or Charlemagne was rightful ruler.

king of the Franks

771

Charlemagne became the king of the Franks.

Charlemagne First Raid

772

Charlemagne makes his first raid on the Saxons, which he won but this was just the beginning of an extended struggle against the decentralized pagan tribes

Charlemagne Conquers

774

Charlemagne conquers Lombardy and becomes King of the Lombards

Charlemagne Pilgrimage

781

Charles makes a pilgrimage to Rome and has his son Pippin proclaimed King of Italy; here he meets Alcuin, who agrees to come to Charlemagne's court

Executing Prisoners

782

In response to recent attacks by Saxon leader Widukind, Charlemagne reportedly has 4,500 Saxon prisoners executed en masse

The Massacre at Verden

782

Also known as the Bloodbath at Verden, it took place in Lower Saxony, Germany. In the battle, King Charles slaughtered 4,500 Saxon captives, and this was only a response to the deaths of two envoys, four counts, and around 20 nobles in an earlier battle with the Saxons.

Charlemagne mother dies

783

Three months after Hildegarde's death, Charlemagne's mother, Bertrada dies to unknown reasons.

Charlemagne's new wife dies

783

Charlemagne's newly wife, Hildegarde dies in childbirth.

Educational

787

Charlemagne launches his educational plan by ordering bishops and abbots to open schools near their churches and monasteries.

Charlemagne overthrow's Barvaria

788

Charlemagne invaded Bavaria, and within a short time span, had them conqured.

A series of campaigns

Period: 791 to 796

He conducts a series of campaigns against the Avars in present-day Austria and Hungary. The Avars are eventually destroyed as a cultural entity

Pope Hadrian dies

795

Pope Hadrian dies and then Leo the Third is named the new Pope.

Construction

796

Construction on the cathedral in Aachen begins

The siege of trsat

799

The Siege of Trsat was a battle fought over the possession of the town of Trsat near the Croatian–Frankish border. The battle was fought in the autumn of 799 between the defending forces of the Dalmatian Croatia under the leadership of a Croatian duke and the invading Frankish army of the Carolingian Empire led by Eric of Friuli.

Pope Leo III is attacked

799

Pope Leo III is attacked in the streets of Rome and flees to Charlemagne for protection. The king has him conducted safely back to Rome

Came to oversee a synod

800

Charlemagne comes to Rome to oversee a synod where Leo clears himself of the charges laid on him by his enemies.

The saxons war

804

The Saxon wars finally come to an end

Acknowledges as emperor

812

Byzantine emperor Michael I acknowledges Charlemagne as emperor, though not as "Roman" emperor, providing official power to the power Charles already wielded in fact

Louis the Pious

813

Charlemagne crowned his son Louis the Pious as his last surviving successor. Louis was also the king of Aquitaine and ended his reign after four decades. By this time Charlemagne had grown the kingdom into a large empire.

The end of the timeline

814

Charlemagne dies in Aachen