Translations & Unedited Source Excerpts
Inquiry 1: Why was Charlemagne crowned emperor in 800CE and what impact did it have on Europe?
Source 1: Annales Laureshamensis in Monumenta Germaniœ Historica, Scriptores (Pertz ed.), Vol. I., pp. 37-38. Accessed via: https://www.dmgh.de/mgh_ss_1/index.htm#page/37/mode/1up
1.0 Latin Version of the Annals of Lorsch:
799. lterum domnus rex Carolus apud Aquis palatio celebravit pascha; et instigante dyabulo Romani conprehenderunt domnum apostolicum Leonem in ipsas laetanias, quod est Kal. Maias, et absciderunt linguam eius, et voluerunt eruere oculos eius et eum morti tradere. Sed iuxta Dei dispensationem malum quod inchoaverunt non perficerunt. Et domnus rex eodem anno introivit in Saxoniam et resedit ad Padresbrunna, et ibi venit ad eum domnus Leo apostolicus, quern an tea volebant Romani interficere, et suscepit eum domnus rex honorifice, et multis donis et honoribus eum honoravit, et postea cum pace et honore magno eum remisit ad propriam sedem; et missi domni regis deducebant eum honorifice, et eos qui m morte eius consiliati sunt transmiserunt ad domnum regem, et sunt modo, ut digni sunt, in exilio. Et domnus rex inde tullit multitudinem Saxanorum cum mulieribus et infantibus, et collocavit eos per diversas terras in finibus suis, et ipsam terram eorum divisit inter fideles suos, id est episcopos, presbyteros, comites et alios vassos suos, et ibi ad Padresbrunnun aedificavit ecclesiam mira magnitudinis, et fecit earn dedicare; et post haec reversus est in pace ad Aquis palatium, et ibi resedit.
800. Ipsum hiemem resedit apud Aquis palatio, et circa quadragensimae tempus circuivit villas suas seu etiam corpora sanctorum, usque dum post pascha pervenit Torones, ubi corpus heati Martini requiescit; et fuerunt cum eo filii sui Carolus et Pipinus; sed et Flodoveus ibi advenit filius eius; nee non etLiutgardis coniux domni regis ibi defuncta est: et facta ibi oratione solemniter, et cum pace reversus est ad propriam sedem. Et in aestivo tempore congregavit obtimates et fideles suos ad Mogontiam civitatem, et cum cognovisset undique per omnes fines suos pacem, rememoravit de iniuria quam Romani apostolico Leoni fecerunt, et direxit faciem suam, ul iret partihus Romae, et ita fecit. Et ibi fecit conventum maximum episcoporum sen abbatum cum presbyteris, diaconihus et comitibus seu reliquo christiano populo, et ihi venerunt in praesentia qui ipsum apostolicum condemnare voluerunt et cum cognovisset rex , quia non propter aliam iustitiam sed per invidiam eum condemnare voIebant, tune visum est et ipsi piissimo principi Carolo et universis episcopis et sanctis patrihus qui ihi adfuerunt, ut si eius voluntas fuisset et ipse petisset, non tamen per eorum iudicium sed spontaneae voluntate se purificare debuisset; et ita factum est. Et ipso sacramento expleto, incipiebant illi sancti episcopi cum universo clero seu ipso principe Carlo cum devoto christiano populo ymnum: Te Deum laudamus, te Dominum confitemur; quo perexpleto et ipse rex et universus populus fidelis cum eo dabant laudem Deo, quia ipsum apostolicum Leonem et sanum in corpore et in anima custoditum meruerunt habere; et ipsum hiemem Romae fecit.
801. Et quia iam tune cessahat a parte Graecorum nomen imperatoris, et femineum imperium apud se abehant tune visum est et ipso apostolico Leoni et universis sanctis patribus qui in ipso concilio aderant, seu reliquo christiano populo, ut ipsum Carolum regem Franchorum imperatorem nominare. dehuissent, qui ipsam Romam tenehat, uhi semper Caesaras sedere soliti erant, seu reliquas sedes quas ipse per Italiam seu Galliam nee non et Germaniam tenehat; quia Deus omnipotens has omnes sedes in potestate eius concessit, ideo iustum eis esse videbatur, ut ipse cum Dei adiutorio et universo christiano populo petente ipsum nomen aheret. Quorum petitionem ipse rex Karolus denegare noluit, sed cum omni humilitate suhiectus Deo et petitione sacerdotum et universi christiani populi in ipsa nativitate domini nostri lesu Christi ipsum nomen imperatoris cum consecratione domni Leonis papae suscepit. Et ihi primis omnium ipsam sanctam ecclesiam Romanam de ea discordia quam inter se abuerant, ad pacem et concordiam revocavit, et ibi celebravit pascha. Et adpropinquante aestivo tempore direxit iter suum partibus Ravennae iustitias et pacem faciendo, et inde pervenit in Francia ad sedem suum.
Longer English Translation:
799…Incited by the devil, the Romans seized the apostolic lord, Leo, during the Litanies, which is on the 7th day before the Kalends of May, and they cut off his tongue and wanted to gouge out his eyes and deliver him to death. But by God’s design, they did not carry out the evil they began. And in the same year, the lord king entered Saxony and stayed at Paderborn, and there the apostolic lord Leo came to him – the same Leo whom the Romans previously wanted to kill. The lord king received him honourably, bestowed many gifts and honours upon him, and afterward sent him back with peace and great honour to his own seat [in Rome]. The king’s envoys led him back with honour and those who had plotted his death were sent to the lord king, and they are now, as they deserve, in exile.
800…Realising that peace prevailed throughout all his territories, he remembered the injury the Romans had inflicted upon Pope Leo. He set his face towards Rome, intending to go there, and he did so. There, he convened a major assembly of bishops or abbots with priests, deacons, counts, and the rest of the Christian populace. Those who had wished to condemn the Pope came into his presence. Recognising that they wanted to condemn him not for any justice but out of envy, it seemed to the most pious Prince Charles and all the bishops and holy fathers present there that even if the Pope had desired and had asked for it, he should not have had to defend himself on their judgement but should have voluntarily exonerated himself. And this was done. After the oath was completed, the holy bishops began, with the whole clergy and Prince Charles with the devoted Christian people, the hymn: ‘We praise Thee who art God; we acknowledge Thee who art the Lord.”‘ When it was completed, both the king and all the faithful people with him praised God because they were fortunate to have Pope Leo, preserved both in body and soul; and he spent that winter in Rome.”
801 And since by then the title of emperor had fallen into disuse among the Greeks, and they had a female ruler in their realm, it seemed fitting to Pope Leo and to all the holy fathers present in that council, as well as to the rest of the Christian populace, that Charles, King of the Franks, should be named emperor. He controlled Rome, where the Caesars had traditionally sat, as well as other seats of power throughout Italy, Gaul (France), and Germany. Since Almighty God had granted him dominion over all these places, they thought it right that he should take up this title with the aid of God and at the request of the entire Christian community. King Charles did not decline their petition but, with all humility, submitted to God’s will and the request of the clergy and all the Christian people. On the very day of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, he took up the title of emperor, consecrated by Pope Leo. Firstly, above all else, he brought peace and harmony to the holy Roman Church, which had been plagued by internal strife, and celebrated Easter there. As the summer approached, he directed his journey towards Ravenna to establish justice and peace, and from there he returned to France to his own residence.