| Charlemagne, King of Franks, was crowned as the Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on December 25, 800 A. D. It is an important event in the Middle Ages. It was a result of frequent campaigns and substantial expansion of Carolingian ever since its foundation in the 8th century as well as a natural result of the alliance between the Frankish kingdom and papacies. It benefits from religious reform and cultural revival of Frankish kingdom as well as the temporary fading of Byzantine Empire which was under the pressure from Abbasid Dynasty. Historians, basing on the five key documents, have debated over the coronation for a long time and focused on different aspects. For this event, some historians pay special attention on the plots of Charlemagne and his intimate ministers, some emphasize the role of the Pope, and others focus on the influence of Byzantine Empire and Arab Empire. Further analysis shows that despite of the preparation of Charlemagne and his intimate ministers before Christimas, Charlemagne was not prepared to recieve the title of “ emperor ”. Just then, searching for his own instrest, Pope Leo III put the imperial crown on the head of Charlemagne. Charlemagne was surprised at the coronation, as recorded by Einhard. The imperial coronation of Charlemagne promoted the revival of Roman civilization, led subsequent power struggles between emperor and papcy, and laid the foundations for modern France, Italy and Germany. |
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