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Charlemagne or Karl “the Great” (ruled AD 768-814) is regarded by scholars and lay people alike as one of the greatest Europeans in history. Today, both the French and Germans claim him as one of their earliest known and most revered monarchs due to his great deeds and the fact that he was one of the best recorded early medieval European kings. The early medieval scholar Einhard wrote an account of Charlemagne based on the time he spent with the emperor and numerous statues and other works of art that depict the sovereign were scattered throughout western Europe, especially at the royal capital city of Aachen, which was where thirty-one German kings were later crowned as emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. What made Charlemagne “great” and the subject of Einhard’s biography, countless works of art, and numerous modern studies was his ability to pull Europe out of the Dark Ages and into the medieval period.
Charlemagne’s contributions to Europe cannot be overstated. Although he had a good template from which to build on thanks to his Frankish predecessors, Charlemagne showed incredible foresight and will as he brought stability back to Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire. His support of the Roman Catholic Church brought unity to much of the continent, which culminated with his coronation as the “Holy Roman Emperor” in 800 by Pope Leo III. Quite often Charlemagne used force to put recalcitrant Germanic tribes in line as he unified western Europe, but almost as important, although lesser known, were the economic initiatives he championed. The first Holy Roman Emperor also promoted a balanced economy based on free trade, industry, agriculture, and a monetary policy. As part of his monetary policy, Charlemagne championed silver as the standard currency in western Europe and also established a unitary system of weights and measures for coins and commodities. Finally, new farming techniques and technologies were introduced during Charlemagne’s reign that allowed the population of Europe to grow. Truly, Charlemagne’s economic policies allowed western Europe to emerge from the Dark Ages.
====The Franks and the Carolingians====
[[File: Europe_814.png|300px|thumbnail|left|Map of the Carolingian (Frankish) Empire at Charlemagne’s Death]]
Most experts place the origins of the Frankish kingdom with King Clovis, who inherited his position from his father, Childeric, in 482. Clovis was able to conquer most of Gaul and brought back a considerable amount of political and social stability to the region that had been absent in the wake of repeated Germanic invasions and the withdrawal of Roman forces. Clovis also established a new dynasty, known as the Merovingian, which lasted for nearly 300 years. <ref> James, pgs. 65-67</ref>
Like his Frankish ancestors, Charlemagne saw the importance in fostering trade within his realm. The emperor continued with his predecessors’ policies of promoting trade fairs and towns, but then took things to the next logical level by expanding trade to neighboring kingdoms. Slaves, wine, grains, and hand made goods were exported from the Carolingian Empire along the Rhine River to the North and Baltic seas where they arrived in such places to the north as London and Sweden. The trade network helped to revitalize the depressed economic conditions of former Roman territories of the west and north and brought regions such as Scandinavia, which were not part of the Roman Empire, into this new system. Charlemagne also developed regular trade with the Byzantine Empire to the east and the various Islamic dynasties in North Africa and the Near East. <ref> Misbach, p. 267</ref> The creation of a widespread trade network was truly remarkable, but it would not have been possible without technological advances that were made in the agricultural sector during the Carolingian Empire.
[[File: Charlemagne_coronation.jpg|300px|thumbnail|right|Charlemagne Being Crowned the Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III]]
When the Carolingian Empire came to power, most western European peasants were still using Roman era farming methods and technologies. Not only were most of these methods and technologies outdated and extremely labor intensive, they were also better adapted to the longer growing seasons of the Mediterranean basin. Two of the most important technological advances in farming that were made during the Carolingian Empire were the invention of the heavy wheeled moldboard plow and the modern horse harness. <ref> Misbach, p. 268</ref> These innovations helped to make farming less labor intensive, which meant that either more land could be worked by an individual or more time could be dedicated to other pursuits. Along with these agricultural inventions, Charlemagne and the Carolingians began view farming itself in a much different and more efficient way than the Romans did.
