Einhard's Life of Charlemagne

Einhard's Life of Charlemagne is a primary source document that shows how Charlemagne relied on Roman, Christian, and Germanic aspects of medieval Europe's cultural background in order to rule his empire. Charlemagne was able to create and control one of the largest empires in history, comparable to the one ruled by Julius Caesar, with this three pronged cultural approach to leadership. Charlemagne led many of his armies in battle himself and was one of the …

…who spent much of his adult life fighting. In the Saxon campaigns he converted people to Christianity with his sword and he retaliated against rebels with merciless slaughter. At the same time he placed his immense power and prestige at the service of Christian doctrine, the monastic life, the teaching of Latin, the copying of books, and the rule of law. His fusion of Germanic, Roman, and Christian cultures became the basis of European civilization.