Frankish Royals Trivia

1. Charlemagne was crowned emperor on Christmas Day in which year?

From Quiz Charlemagne - Larger than Life?

Answer: 800

He was acclaimed emperor and crowned at Rome to provide the papacy with a powerful protector in turbulent times. Incidentally, he was crowned "Caesar augustus" and NOT "Holy Roman Emperor": indeed, the question of what he was emperor of was left singularly vague, probably in order to avoid causing unnecessary friction with Byzantium.

From Quiz Frankly My Dear I Think You Have A Lot of Gaul

Answer: Merovech

There is little information about Merovech or Merowig. The legend is that he was conceived when King Clodio's wife was impregnated by a sea monster while swimming. Merovech reportedly helped the Romans defeat the Huns in 451 at Chalons. He is thought to have been the father of Childeric I, and grandfather of Clovis.

From Quiz The Life of Charlemagne

Answer: The Pope

Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne in 800 AD on Christmas Day.

From Quiz Frankly My Dear I Think You Have A Lot of Gaul

Answer: Roman Catholic

Clovis promised to convert if the Christian God helped him defeat the Alamanni at the Battle of Tolbiac. In 496 he and three thousand of his warriors were baptized into the Roman Catholic Church. His conversion gave Clovis the support of the Church and gave the Church an important ally. Clovis codified laws - the Salian Laws, based on the customs of Germanic tribes, and encouraged his subjects to adopt Roman Catholic Christianity. The Franks are considered to be the first Catholic barbarians.

From Quiz Charlemagne - Larger than Life?

Answer: they were never allowed to marry

None of the Carolingian girls was allowed to marry. This led to scurrilous rumours that Charlemagne was committing incest with them - but these are generally discredited. He simply didn't want there to be any more claimants to the throne than his sons would produce.

From Quiz The Life of Charlemagne

Answer: Charles the Great

Charles the Fat was Charlemagne's epileptic great grandson, who commissioned the Monk of St. Gall, Notker the Stammerer, to write a biography of his father.

From Quiz Frankly My Dear I Think You Have A Lot of Gaul

Answer: Mayor of the Palace

When Clovis died, he followed Germanic custom and divided his empire between his four sons. This division of power weakened an area that was further weakened by incompetent heirs. The kings became known as "Do Nothing Kings", and gave more and more power to officials called "Mayors of the Palace." Einhard, Charlemagne's biographer, says "Nothing was left to the king. He had to content himself with his royal title, flowing locks, and long beard."

From Quiz Charlemagne - Larger than Life?

Answer: Offa of Mercia

Offa was the builder of Offa's Dyke, a great earthen wall that was meant to keep out the Welsh from his kingdom. Offa's daughter was called Bertha, but the wedding plans fell through when Offa insisted that Charlemagne should also send a daughter to wed HIS eldest son. Charlemagne, enraged, refused. Carolingian girls didn't get married, remember?

From Quiz The Life of Charlemagne

Answer: Pepin the Short

Again, Charles the Fat was Charlemagne's great grandson. Einhard worked in Charlemagne's court and wrote a glowing biography of Charlemagne, and Charles Martel was Charlemagne's grandfather.

From Quiz Frankly My Dear I Think You Have A Lot of Gaul

Answer: Battle of Tours

The Battle of Tours saved Europe from the further advancement of Muslim invaders. Known as "The Hammer", Charles exercised all the power of a king, but never took the title. Charles Martel is given credit for the beginning of feudalism, due to the fact that he promised his warriors land grants in exchange for military service. The Carolingian Dynasty is named for him.

From Quiz Charlemagne - Larger than Life?

Answer: He had a biographer

His biography was written by one Einhard, nicknamed 'homunculus' or 'manling'. It was modelled on Suetonius' 'Lives of the Caesars' and is a scandalously good read!

From Quiz The Emperor Theodoric

Answer: Ravenna

After several crushing victories over Odoacer, Theodoric was able to finally besiege and take the great fortress and now capital city of Ravenna in 493. At first it appeared that Theodoric would share power with Odoacer, the latter was invited to a banquet at which the power-sharing plan would be presented. In reality, Theodoric had something else in mind at this banquet...to send a message to any remaining supporters of Odoacer. Theodoric personally murdered Odoacer, making his conquest of the Western Roman Empire official. Theodoric's Ostrogothic capital would be set up at Ravenna, and he would remain nominally subservient to Byzantium.

From Quiz The Life of Charlemagne

Answer: c. 742 AD

From Quiz Frankly My Dear I Think You Have A Lot of Gaul

Answer: The Short

Pepin was the son of Charles Martel. He used the Franks' connections with the Roman Catholic Church to make a deal with the Pope. Pepin would help the Pope defeat the Lombards who were threatening the Papal States, and the Pope would crown Pepin king. There is no reliable source that actually gives Pepin's height, although one claimed he was 4'6". Some say the descriptor could have been in reference to Pepin's hair, or the fact that he was the younger Pepin. He was married to Bertrada of Laon, also called Bertrada Broadfoot, the queen with the goosefoot. One of her feet was bigger than the other.

From Quiz The Life of Charlemagne

Answer: Merovingian

From Quiz Frankly My Dear I Think You Have A Lot of Gaul

Answer: Charles The Great

Why did Charlemagne's contemporaries call him Great? One explanation is that he was a very tall and robust man. Einhard says that "he measured in height seven times the length of his own foot." Another explanation would be the size of his empire. By the time of his death, Charlemagne controlled the area of present-day France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany west of the Rhine, Austria, Switzerland, and northern Italy. His goal was to unite all of the Germanic tribes into a Christian kingdom. Was it because he was an able administrator? The empire was divided into three hundred districts, each with a count appointed to take care of secular business, a duke appointed to take care of military matters, and a bishop appointed to manage religious affairs. Or was it due to his advancement of learning? Charlemagne established learning centers throughout his empire and began a period that scholars call the Carolingian Renaissance.

From Quiz The Life of Charlemagne

Answer: Carloman

Carloman was weak of character, and Charlemagne was the opposite. When their father Pepin the Short died he divided his kingdom between his two sons, but Charlemagne was quickly able to take control of much of it. Carloman died suddenly in 771, giving Charlemagne complete and undisputed control of his family's kingdom. Charlemagne had also had a brother named Pepin, but this brother died very young.

From Quiz Charlemagne - Larger than Life?

Answer: His brother Carloman died accidentally

Carloman died entirely by accident very early on, and Charlemagne ruled alone for most of his long reign.

From Quiz The Emperor Theodoric

Answer: Cassiodorus

Cassiodorus, a product of traditional Roman society, advised Theodoric on how to win the loyalty of the Roman population. Cassiodorus' program, entitled 'civilitas', was meant to identify the Ostrogoths with refined civilization. This program included the building and repair of public works, strict enforcement of laws meant to keep the public peace, and economic measures meant to buoy the financial situation of the empire.

From Quiz The Life of Charlemagne

Answer: The Carolingian Renaissance

Charlemagne himself was illiterate!

From Quiz Frankly My Dear I Think You Have A Lot of Gaul

Answer: Aachen

Aachen, also known as Aix-la-Chapelle, was the focus of Charlemagne's court, and the political center of his empire. It was also the place of the coronation of the kings of Germany for over five hundred years.

From Quiz Charlemagne - Larger than Life?

Answer: Charles Martel, who defeated the Muslims at Poitiers

Charles Martel gave his name to the Carolingian dynasty. His defeat meant the Muslims never conquered France or the rest of Europe and his nickname 'Martel' means 'little hammer', a tribute to his military strength and lack of size. The rest are all Charlemagne's descendants and all facts given are true.

From Quiz The Life of Charlemagne

Answer: The Capetians

The Capetian monks, almost three hundred years after Charlemagne was crowned, claimed to have found documents showing this descendency from in the walls of a church during renovation. It is generally held that these documents were forged by monks in an attempt to approve public opinion toward the Capetian dynasty.

From Quiz Frankly My Dear I Think You Have A Lot of Gaul

Answer: Louis The Pious

Charlemagne's oldest two sons were both killed in battle. Louis, his younger son, had prepared to enter the clergy. He was not interested in governing an empire. According to Germanic custom, he divided the empire between his three sons, Charles The Bald, Lothair, and Louis The German. Louis and Charles didn't waste any time forming an alliance against their brother, Lothair. Eventually the three agreed to divide the empire into two kingdoms. Charles kept the western kingdom, which eventually became France. Louis kept the eastern kingdom, which eventually became Germany. Lothair kept the area in between, the Lotharii Regnum, which eventually became known as Lorraine. The French and Germans have fought over this strip of land for over a thousand years.

From Quiz Charlemagne - Larger than Life?

Answer: the Holy Roman Empire

The earliest recorded use of the expression "Holy Roman Empire", however, is much later. Moreover, Charlemagne's empire fell apart soon after his death, and by the Treat of Verdun (843) it was agreed that the imperial title was to be nothing more than a title. In Germany and Italy, the two countries that can claim to be sucessor states to the Holy Roman Empire, historians regard the key date in the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire as the coronation of Otto I in 962. That said, some concede that the *inspiration* for a revivial of the Roman empire in Western Europe dates from the coronation of Charlemagne in 800.

From Quiz The Life of Charlemagne

Answer: Charles, Pepin and Louis

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