For a quick overview of the progress of Charlemagne's life, consult the chronological listing of significant events below. To see what else was happening in the world when Charles governed most of Europe, visit the timelines in
this directory.
Timeline of Charlemagne's Life and Reign:
- 742: Charles the Great is born on April 2,
traditionally in this year, but possibly as late as 747
- 751: Charlemagne's father Pippin
is declared king, beginning what would later be called the
Carolingian dynasty
- 768: Upon the death of Pippin, the kingdom of Francia
is divided between Charles and his brother Carloman
- 771: Carloman dies; Charles becomes sole ruler
772: Charlemagne makes his first raid on the Saxons,
which is a success; but this was just the beginning of an extended
struggle against the decentralized pagan tribes
774: Charlemagne conquers Lombardy and becomes King of
the Lombards
777: Construction on a palace in Aachen
begins
778: An unsuccessful siege of Saragossa, Spain, is
followed by an ambush of Charlemagne's retreating army by the
Basques at Roncesvalles
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
782: In response to recent attacks by Saxon leader
Widukind, Charlemagne reportedly has 4,500 Saxon prisoners
executed en masse
787: Charles launches his educational plan by ordering
bishops and abbots to open schools near their churches and
monasteries
788: Charlemagne takes control of Bavaria, bringing all
the territory of the Germanic tribes into one political unit
791-796: Charles conducts a series of campaigns against
the Avars in present-day Austria and
Hungary. The Avars are eventually
destroyed as a cultural entity
796: Construction on the cathedral in Aachen begins
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
800: Charlemagne comes to Rome to oversee a synod where
Leo clears himself of the charges laid on him by his enemies. At
Christmas mass, Leo crowns Charlemagne Emperor
804: The Saxon wars finally come to an end
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
813: Charles delegates imperial power to Louis,
his last surviving legitimate son
814: Charlemagne dies in Aachen
