CHARLEMAGNE CHARLEMONT AND GIVET. 



147 



Roman emperors, and the only thine forgotten was, 

 tliat the empire could not subsist long in a family 

 where the authority was, by law, divided among the 

 children of the deceased monarch. After Charle- 

 magne had made a monk of one of his sons, Pepin, 

 king of Italy, died in 810, whose death was followed, 

 the next year, by that of Charles, the oldest. Thus, 

 of his legitimate sons, one only remained, Louis, king 

 of Aquitania, whom he adopted as his colleague in 

 813, as his age and increasing weakness gave him 

 warning that the end of his life could not be far dis- 

 tant. He died Jan. 28, 814, in the 7lst year of his 

 age and the 47th of his reign, with anticipations and 

 fears that Ids empire would not long withstand the 

 attacks of foreign enemies ; apprehensions which the 

 event confirmed. He felt, too late, that the same 

 Saxons, part of whom he had driven from their seats, 

 would one day take revenge on his empire, and in 

 their train bring with them other barbarians. Charle- 

 magne was buried at Aix-la-Chapelle, his favourite 

 and usual place of residence. He was deposited in a 

 vault, where he was placed on a throne of gold, in 

 full imperial costume. On his head he wore the 

 crown ; hi his hand he held a chalice ; at his side 

 was the sword ; on his knees lay the book of the 

 evangelists ; at his feet his sceptre and shield. The 

 sepulchre was sealed, and over it was erected a kind 

 of triumphal arch, on which were the words " Here 

 lies the body of Charles, the great and orthodox em- 

 peror, who gloriously enlarged, and for forty-seven 

 years happily governed, the empire of the Franks." 

 Charlemagne was a friend of learning ; he deserves 

 the name of restorer of the sciences and teacher of 

 his people. He attracted by his liberality, the most 

 distinguished scholars to his court; among others, 

 Alcuin, from England, whom he chose for his own 

 instructor ; Peter of Pisa, who received the title of 

 his grammarian ; and Paul Warnefried, better known 

 under the name of Paul Diaconus, who gave the 

 emperor instruction in Greek and Latin literature. 

 By Alcuin's advice, Charlemagne established an 

 academy in his palace at Aix-la-Chapelle, the sittings 

 of which he attended, with all the scientific and liter- 

 ary men of lus court Leidrades, Theodulphus, the 

 archbishops of Treves and Mentz, and the abbot of 

 Corvey. All the members of this academy assumed 

 names characteristic of their talents or inclinations. 

 One was called Damcetas, another Homer, another 

 Candidus ; Charlemagne himself took the name of 

 David. From Italy he invited teachers of the lan- 

 guages and mathematics, and established them in the 

 principal cities of his empire. In the cathedrals and 

 monasteries he founded schools of theology and the 

 liberal sciences. He strove assiduously to cultivate 

 his mind by intercourse with scholars ; and, to the 

 time of his death, this intercourse remained his fa- 

 vourite recreation. He spoke several languages 

 readily, especially the Latin. He was less success- 

 fid in writing, because he had not applied himself to 

 it till he was further advanced in years. In the 

 winter he read much, and even caused a person to 

 read to him while he took his meals. He endea- 

 voured to improve the liturgy and church music. 

 He was desirous of introducing the Roman liturgy 

 into his states ; but the clergy, who clung to the an- 

 cient usages, offered some resistance. Several 

 churches, however, complied with the wish of the 

 monarch, and others mingled the Roman and Galli- 

 can liturgy. He attempted to introduce uniformity 

 of measures and weights, but was unable to accom- 

 plish his design. Another great plan of his was to 

 unite the Rhine with the Danube, and, consequently, 

 the Atlantic with the Black sea, by means of a canal. 

 The whole army was employed on the work ; but its 

 accomplishment was prevented by the want of that 



knowledge of hydraulic architecture wliich has been 

 since acquired. The arts, however, under his patron- 

 age, produced other monuments of his fame. The 

 city of Aix-la-Chapelle received its name from a 

 splendid chapel, which he caused to be built of the 

 most beautiful Italian marble. The doors of this 

 temple were of bronze, and its dome bore a globe of 

 massive gold. The imperial palace was built in the 

 highest style of splendour. Charlemagne also erected 

 baths, in which more than one hundred persons could 

 swim in warm water. He was himself very fond of 

 swimming, and frequently used these baths, with all 

 the nobles of his court, and even with his soldiers. 

 At Seltz, in Alsace, he had a no less splendid palace. 

 To Charlemagne France is indebted for its first ad- 

 vances in navigation. He built the light-house at Bou- 

 logne, and constructed several ports. He encouraged 

 agriculture, and made himself immortal by the wis- 

 dom of his laws. Thus his law de villis is esteemed a 

 monument of his views on rural economy ; and Men- 

 zel, in his history of the Germans, says of him, " His 

 greatest praise is, that he prevented the total decline 

 of the sciences in the West, and supplied new aliment 

 to their expiring light ; that he considered the im- 

 provement of nations as important as their union and 

 subjugation. This love of intellectual improvement is 

 the more laudable in a prince whose youth was spent 

 in military exercises and the chase, and his whole 

 after life in the whirlpool of war ; at a time, too, be- 

 fore the charm of beautiful models had made intel- 

 lectual occupation an enjoyment, but when literature 

 and science, appearing in heavy forms, destitute of 

 grace, deterred rather than invited. His fame filled 

 even the East. He received ambassadors from the 

 patriarch of Jerusalem, from the emperors Nicephor- 

 us and Michael, and was twice complimented with 

 embassies from Haroun al Raschid, the famous caliph 

 of Bagdad, all of which he received with a splendour 

 unexampled even in the East. He convened coun- 

 cils and parliaments, published capitularies, wrote 

 many letters (some of which are still extant), a 

 grammar, and several Latin poems. His empire 

 comprehended France, most of Catalonia, Navarre, 

 and Arragon ; the Netherlands, Germany as far as 

 the Elbe, Saale, and Eyder, Upper and Middle Italy, 

 Istria, and a part of Sclavonia. 



In private life, Charlemagne was exceedingly 

 amiable; a good father, and generous friend. His 

 domestic economy afforded a model of frugality ; his 

 person, a rare example of simplicity and greatness. 

 He despised extravagance of dress in men, though, 

 on solemn occasions, he appeared in all the splen- 

 dour of majesty. His table was very frugal. His 

 only excess was his love of the other sex. He was 

 large and strong; his height, according to Eginhard, 

 equalled seven tunes the length of his foot. His 

 head was round ; his eye large and lively ; his nose 

 of more than common size ; his countenance had an 

 agreeable expression of serenity. His gait was firm ; 

 his bearing manly. He enjoyed constant health, till 

 the last four years of his life, when he was attacked 

 by fevers, and began to limp. In summer, he was 

 accustomed to repose for two hours after dinner, for 

 which purpose he used to undress ; but at night he 

 slept uneasily. He wore the dress of his country ; on 

 his body, a linen shirt, over which was a coat with a 

 silk border, and long breeches. For his outer dress, 

 he wore a cloak, and always his sword, the hilt and 

 belt of which were of gold and silver. He possessed a 

 a natural, impressive eloquence, and, in his expression 

 of countenance, there was something to excite respect, 

 united with gentleness and kindness. See Eginhard. 



CHARLEMONT AND GIVET; one of the 

 strongest fortresses in France, in the department of 

 the Ardennes, with 3500 inhabitants. The workb 

 K 2 



