Charlemagne’s CoranationThe coronation of Charlemagne is one of the most important events of its time and yet the events leading up to the crowning are scarcely mentioned in historical texts. Historians often disagree over the details of the coronation due to the lack of proper and sometimes contradictory historical documentation. This paper seeks to answer the questions surrounding the meaning and driving forces behind the coronation of a western emperor and expose the truth of what actually happened in the years leading up to the event. Many historical documents including the Lorsch Annals, Royal Frankish Annals, and letters provide the primary sources that are sifted by historians such as Alessandro Barbero, Paul Dutton, Neil Christie, and Rodger Collins in an effort to reveal the truth of Charlemagne’s coronation.In order to discuss motivations behind the coronation, it needs to be established what actually happened leading up to that christmas day in the year 801. Since there are many historical contradictions between primary sources from the time, we will rely on summaries presented by historians for the moment and address the contradictions later on. Barbero provides the most complete summery in chapter four of his book Charlemagne.1 Starting around the year 700 there was a divergence between the eastern and western halves of the Roman empire. The emperor was greek and ruled from the eastern half, while the Pope resided in Rome located in the western half. There developed a barrier between the two that transcended language. The emperor diverged in his theology by adopting iconoclasm, or the destruction of idols. This was in direct conflict with roman theology, which celebrated the images of Christ and the saints. At…
…ey tried to refuse.10 This cultural attitude fits perfectly with how the histories are written and explains why this was how the King wanted the information given to the public. This is how the contradictions between primary sources are reconciled.The coronation of Charlemagne is now easier to understand after going through the historical evidence. It is clear that the Pope Leo is the driving force behind the coronation in order to expand papal authority and secure his own position from accusations. The overarching events of the time show that Empress Irene’s decision to take the role of emperor is the key to allowing the coronation of Charlemagne to take place. Finally, through careful study of the primary sources and identifying the perspective of the writer the actual events before the coronation can be deduced despite contradictions between sources.
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