Charlemagne may be considered the principal regenerator of Western Europe after the destruction of the Roman empire. He was ambitions, but his ambition was of an enlarged kind, and led to great and useful results. He was not merely a successful conqueror, but a statesman and a legislator ; and his mind appears wonderfully enlight ened when contrasted with the barbarism that surrounded him. He was the first to enforce obedience and discipline among the turbulent Franks, and be effectually curbed the insubordination of his vassals, which his father Pepin had been unable to subdue. He was the founder of the Germanic empire, having transformed tribes of lawless barbarians, such as the Saxons, the Bavarians, the Frisians, &c., into a federation of civilised nations. His predecessors, Charles Martel and Pepin, had checked the advance of the Saracens on the aide of the Pyrenees ; Charlemagne drove them back beyond the Ebro. His overthrow of the Longobarda in Italy has been viewed in various lights by party historians. He has been considered by some as having, by his alliance with the popes, favoured the encroachments of their spiritual power over temporal affairs. But it ought to be observed that in his lifetime at least he always asserted the superiority of the empire over the church in temporal matters, that he crowned himself king of Italy, and that even at Rome the laws were proclaimed in his name (` Imperante Domino nostro Carole'), and the coin bore his stamp. Other writers have assumed that the overthrow of the Longo bards was a misfortune to Italy, because they have fancied that their power was likely to effect that union of the peninsula which has been the favourite vision of the Italians in all ages. But that union, had it been possible, was more likely to be effected by a sovereign like Charlemagne, who ruled singly and firmly over his vassals, and who was acknowledged as emperor of the West and successor to the Caesars, than by an elective king like that of the Longobards, who was every moment at variance either with some one of the numerous dukes, who ruled absolutely each his respective territory, or with the Greek empe rors, who still retained nearly one-half of Italy. Besides, it ought not to be forgotten that the Lougobards, even under their best kings, always retained a broad distinction between themselves the conquerors, and the Romans or conquered race. This humiliating and often
oppressive distinction Charlemagne abolished, and by so doing he in fact emancipated the original Italian population from bondage. Those who may wish to look further into this often misstated question' will find a sober and argumentative discussion of it in Manzoni's 'Discorso storico copra alcuni punti della Storia Longobardica in Italia,' which accompanies his historical drama of Adelchi.' Charlemagne pro moted instruction by the only means then known, by founding monas teries and endowing churches with schools attached to them. Ho enacted a series of regulations upon civil and ecclesiastical matters which may be considered as forming a code of laws. He often assem bled diets of the great lords and bishops, and consulted them ,upon important matters, thus showing a deference to the opinion of the only classes that had then any pretensions to education. Upon the same principle, he favoured the clergy as being the only scholars of that age. Alcuin, Paulus Diaconus, and other learned men, were honoured with his favour. He was easy of access to the humble and poor, and showed himself just and merciful towards them. He was, on the contrary, at times harsh and cruel to his enemies and to his rebellious subjects, whom he treated in the same manner that they treated their own enemies or dependents. His first wife was Hermen garde, daughter of Desiderius, king of the Longobardi, whom be repu diated after a twelvemonth, with the pope's approbation, to marry Ildegerda, a German princess, by whom he had most of his numerous children. After her death he married successively Fastrada and Lut garde. He had also several natural children.
(Eginhard, Vita Caroli Magni, in Duchesne's Rerum Francorum Scriptores, where are also Amides de Gestis Caroli Magni, and Fray menta de Rebus Gestis Caroli Magni CUM Ennis et Stasis, both by anonymous writers. Eginhard was a contemporary of Charlemagne, and one of his favourites. See also Struve, Rerun& Germanicarum Scriptore2, tom. i., and the other numerous French and German historians.)