Two Lives of Charlemagne - 1525 Words

Book Review of Two Lives of Charlemagne After having read both versions of the life of Charlemagne there is no doubt that they differ greatly in the sense of style, audience, and emotion. By reading these two descriptions of Charlemagnes life we are able to decipher somewhat of the life he led as a shaper of early medieval European history. However, both of these versions possess the admiration of a noble man who they believe is worthy enough to be noted in history to some degree. The first account of Charlemagnes life was by his courtier, Einhard, who thought it would be a tragedy if history forgot such a noble ruler. Furthermore, not only does he believe that it should be him to write about Charlemagnes life, but only him. He†¦show more content†¦He treated her with every respect and never had a cross word with her, He treated her with the same respect which he showed his mother (pg. 74, Einhard). He, Einhard, also gives attention to the intimacy of Charlemagne. He refers to several times that the emperor was b rought to tears whenever one of his children died or when Pope Hadrian had died. It is most evident that Einhard knows the person he is writing about extremely well and he himself is a primary source to Charlemagne. The style that Notker is identified with is somewhat of a fairy-tale like rhythm. His writing is filled with random stories that at times have nothing to do with Charlemagnes life. He even goes to admit that they do not. Since the occasion has offered itself, although indeed they have nothing to do with my subject matter, it does not seem to be a bad ideaÂ… (pg. 115, Notker). The ones that do have a hint of Charlemagnes life have very little or no influence the view of his life. The majority of his writing seems to be a composition of stories that he was told by other people. His stories always seem to start out like a fairy-tale. They begin with things like At this point I must tell you a story or On another occasion. He admits that he has never even been to the land of the Franks, just heard stories. I am a lazy man myself, more sluggish than a tortoise, and I have never traveled to the land of the FranksÂ… (pg.Show MoreRelatedThe Two Lives of Charlemagne Essay708 Words   |  3 Pages The two lives of Charlemagne as told by Einhard and Notker are two medieval sources about the accounts of the life Charlemagne. Modern sources by Matthew Innes and Rosamond Mckitterick discuss how history was recorded during the medieval period and how it was suppose to be viewed in the early ages. Observing each of these sources helps get an understanding of how the writing of history is important in recorded history and how it affected how the history of Charlemagne was recorded. Read MoreThe Countless Lives of Charlemagne Essay1113 Words   |  5 Pagesfamous work about Charlemagne is a book entitled The Two Lives of Charlemagne which consists of two separate biographies published into one book and tells the story of Charlemagnes life as two different people experienced it. Apart from this, there are many other places you can turn to learn more about the life of the king of the Franks, including letters, capitularies, inventories, annals, and more. However, each of these sources seem to paint a different picture of Charlemagne. In one, he seemsRead MoreStyles of Historiography: Herodotus vs Einhard940 Words   |  4 Pagesin two completely different styles. Einhard’s style is about giving specific details, while Herodotus’s style is about giving his own personal opinions and information that he has from secondary sources. 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Charlemagne deserves the title â€Å"Father of Europe† after he unified his kingdom and set a precedent for his successors. Charlemagne inherited the throne with his brotherRead MoreCharlemagne And The Carolingian Renaissance1677 Words   |  7 PagesNaomi Spiegelman Professor Rui de Sousa Medieval Civilization - Section 01 27 September 2017 Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance The Carolingian Empire was not at full fruition when Charlemagne rose to power, it was quite the contrary. In the eighth century, the lands covered by what is now known as France and Belgium, as well as part of Germany made up the Frankish state ruled by the kings of the Merovingian line. The Merovingian empire was weak and in a steady decline; the majority of