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Expansion:
The Franks were legendary fighters. Using the strength and loyalty of
his army, combined with his own leadership abilities, Charlemagne soon
defeated most of the other barbarian tribes in Western Europe. He
expanded the Frankish Empire to include Germany, all of France, most
of Italy, and even sections of northern Spain.
When the Frankish Empire went to war, Charlemagne
was in the thick of things. He was easy to spot. Besides being so
tall, he often wore a blue cape over his fur coat, which made him
appear even larger. He had to have been a most visible target. Yet,
somehow, he managed to survive battle after battle. He died of old age
in his seventies, which for the times was a really old age.
Government:
Charlemagne ruled his vast empire by using local
officials called counts to help him. Each count was responsible for
solving local problems. They also had the job of finding men and
raising armies for the kingdom. At least once a year, Charlemagne paid
surprise visits to his various counts to make sure they were managing
fairly and effectively.
Standardized
Money: Local administrators collected taxes from the
people. The amount due was fixed. People knew how much they owed. Most
taxes were paid in barter. The tax collector could decide the value of
a pig or of a bale of hay. Charlemagne realized this system could
easily lead to an abuse of power. He changed that system too. He
introduced a payment system using silver coins. He standardized the
value of each coin. It was no longer up to the tax collector to
assign a pig a value. The farmer could sell his pig and then pay
his taxes.
A
Christian Kingdom: Charlemagne held his kingdom together by
the sheer force of his personality. He was not a king in a palace
somewhere. He was out and about. He heroically fought in battles,
wearing his big blue cape. He personally visited local administrators,
creating new laws to protect his people. He had a horrible singing
voice, but he often burst into song, as he strode through
village after village.
He was loud and rambunctious and brave and fair
and the people adored him. He was their king and they were Franks, and
proud of it. Charlemagne was able to create a Christian
kingdom under a powerful secular leader - himself.
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