Identify a characteristic that was consistent throughout Charlemagnes

rule.

Before Charlemagnes rule, Europe was swallowed by the Dark Ages.

Europe was very fragmented and lacked structure and education. After
Clovis, who spread Christianity throughout Europe and integrated Germanic
tribes into his kingdom, died, his four sons proved to be incompetent leaders.
These rulers came to be known as the do-nothing-kings. The kings relied
more on their advisors to rule and were called the mayors of the palace.
The mayors were also known as the Carolingians, a family who passed their
position down from father to son. One particular Carolingian was Pepin, the
son of Charles Martel. Instead of having the Merovingians as a figurehead,
Pepin wished to have both the official title of king and all of the power. So,
with the help of the pope and some Frankish nobles, Pepin was crowned king
of the Franks in 752 A.D. His son, Charlemagne, inherited the crown in 768
A.D. Because of the damage dealt by the do-nothing-kings, constant threat
from barbarians, and general instability in the Frankish Kingdom, there was
no work done to improve the kingdom. When Charlemagne became king of
the Franks, his innovative ideas on military strategy, education, and writing
led Europe out of the Dark Ages and into a short period of growth, stability,
and cultural activity.
Charlemagnes innovative reforms in military structure and strategy
resulted in the unification of all the Germanic tribes in Europe into one stable
Christian kingdom. Charlemagnes first goal as a king was to unite all of the

Germanic tribes. For this to succeed, Charlemagne started with reforming the
Frankish military. He created a new group of highly disciplined soldiers called
the Paladins. The Paladins served as an elite group of armed horsemen that
carried bows and arrows, lances, and swords. Their role on the battlefield
was to break through enemy lines to create a gap so foot soldiers could
follow and use hand-to-hand combat. The structure of the Paladin soldiers
later became the standard medieval army which in the future rulers would
try to copy. Charlemagne also adjusted the Franks military strategy. During
the Dark Ages, fighting was very chaotic and disorganized. Charlemagnes
new idea was called the one-two punch. During battle, one wave of soldiers
would come in and weaken the enemy. Just when they thought the attack
ended, another wave comes in and obliterates the unprepared enemy with
agility and skill. This new idea made Charlemagnes army the most powerful
and feared in Europe. An example of Charlemagnes use of his one-two
punch idea was against the Lombards. They were quickly defeated because
of the Frankish armys speed and organization. Charlemagnes reforms in the
military allowed him to double the size of the Frankish kingdom and became
the most powerful ruler in Western Europe since the Romans.
Charlemagnes establishment of the Aachen Palace School and the
classic medieval curriculum drastically improved literacy in his kingdom and
led to the rebirth of education in Europe. Charlemagne created the Aachen
Palace School because he noticed the low literacy in his kingdom. The school
trained government officials. The most important scholar who helped revive

education was Alcuin: a gifted teacher and writer who taught Charlemagnes
sons and daughters. He introduced a new system of curriculum which was
separated into two parts: the quadrivium and the trivium. The quadrivium
consisted of studies about mathematics, geometry, astronomy, and music.
The trivium consisted of rhetoric, grammar, and logic. The quadrivium and
trivium later became the classic medieval curriculum. The Aachen Palace
School was so successful that Charlemagne made monasteries around his
kingdom and established similar schools to educate the clergy. These schools
were set up in villages and any Christian could send their sons to learn how
to read and write. Charlemagne was the first person in history to offer free
education to all classes of people in his empire. With these innovative
cultural reforms, Europe entered the Carolingian Renaissance: a period of
revival in culture and education.
During the Carolingian Renaissance, Charlemagnes new ideas of a
writing system further sparked enthusiasm among scholars and became the
standard form of writing in the twelfth century. Charlemagne understood the
importance of both education and writing. So, with the help of the Alcuin,
Charlemagne created the Carolingian miniscule font. Because the Muslims
cut off the Franks supply of cheap papyrus, the Franks had to use expensive
parchment paper. Thus, with a smaller font, scholars were able to fit more
information on a piece of paper. Charlemagne also paid attention to the lack
of books in his kingdom. Since books were so rare, he encouraged monks to
create new books by copying ancient Latin manuscripts founded in their

abbeys. Charlemagnes encouragement in the field of academia sparked

enthusiasm for writing. Scholars and monks started searching for rare
ancient works around Europe to copy them. Charlemagnes effort was the
first major push to establish a body of learning since the collapse of the
Roman Empire.
In conclusion, Charlemagnes innovations in the military, education,
and writing led Europe out of the Dark Ages and into the Carolingian
Renaissance. Not only did his reforms in the military bring stability in the
empire, but it also greatly expanded his territory. Charlemagnes innovative
ideas in education and writing brought back literacy and cultural growth to
Europe. Ultimately, Charlemagnes innovative ideas, along with other factors,
led to him being crowned Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day in 800 A.D.
Charlemagnes new ideas that he brought with his rule drastically improved
the Frankish Empire. However, after Charlemagnes rule, his sons and
grandsons were incompetent for the job as king and tore down
Charlemagnes empire into pieces of land, destroying much of his hard work.