Jeff Sypeck

Becoming Charlemagne mostly concerns the Frankish King Karl who ruled a considerable part of Europe and who was crowned Emperor in Rome by Pope Leo on Christmas morning in 800 A.D. This is not so much a biography as a snapshot of Karl and his kingdom in the years just before and after this momentous event. Also, we have similar snapshots of the other two major empires of the time and how they interacted. There is also some discussion about the way legends grew up around him so that he was remembered as Charles the Great or Charlemagne, especially in contrast to his not so great heirs.

There were a lot of interesting stories in Sypeck's narrative along with many quotes from sources contemporary to Karl. Many of the characters were ones unfamiliar to me and I particularly liked the story of Isaac's diplomatic mission to Baghdad and his return with an elephant in tow. A nice introduction for those who know little about this period in history.… (mehr)