2nd April: Charlemange

Born on this date in 742: Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor often dubbed "the Father of Europe". Here are 10 things you might not know about him.

1. While historians are fairly sure Charlemagne celebrated his birthday on 2 April, they're not absolutely sure which year he was born. The date usually quoted, 742, pre-dated the marriage of his parents, Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon. They're not sure exactly where he was born either, but have narrowed it down to Aachen in modern-day Germany, or Liège in modern-day Belgium.
2. Pepin the Short wasn't king, at least, not at first. He held a position called the Mayor of the House. The kings of the Merovingian dynasty generally had mayors to take care of affairs of state while they were away fighting each other - which was a lot. So much so that the Pope eventually named Pepin king of the Frankish kingdom.
3. When Pepin died, the kingdom was divided between Charlemagne and his younger brother Carloman. There was considerable rivalry between the brothers - Charlemagne actually married his first wife, Desiderata, daughter of the king of the Lombard Kingdom of northern Italy, in order to get one up on Carloman. When Carloman died suddenly in 771, Charlemagne became king of the entire kingdom - and the same year, Charlemagne divorced Desiderata and sent her home to Italy, so he could marry Hildegard, daughter of Count Gerold of Vinzgau, who was just 13.
4. His given name was Charles, after his grandfather, Charles Martel. The name Charlemagne is a contraction of Charles le Magne (Charles the Great).
5. His empire was known as the Carolingian Empire, and Charlemagne made sure it kept expanding, and the Christian religion with it. He defeated the Muslims in Spain and Saxons in Saxony; defeated his former-father in-law in northern Italy, forcibly annexed Bavaria and defeated the Avars in modern-day Austria and Hungary. Charlemagne’s conquests united most of Western Europe for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th-century, and ensured the survival of Christianity in the West.
6. Being Holy Roman Emperor, though, wasn't one of his ambitions. He went to Saint Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Day in 800 just to attend Mass. He claimed he would not have gone there that day if he'd known the Pope was planning a coronation.
7. Scholarship, literature, art, and architecture flourished under his reign and the period is known as the Carolingian Renaissance. A prestigious European prize, the Charlemagne Prize, dating back to 1950, was named for him and is awarded in Aachen to people who promote the idea of western unity by their political, economic and literary endeavors. However, historians believe that although Charlemagne probably spoke Latin and Greek as well as his native language, the Rhenish Franconian dialect which would later evolve into German, he probably couldn't read or write. Nevertheless he is credited with playing a key role in preserving much of the literary heritage of ancient Rome.
8. So what was he like? Studies of his bones show he was six feet/1.84m tall, in the top 1% for the time. He is described in contemporary accounts as being well-built, with a round head, lively eyes, a slightly large nose and white hair. He had a short, fat neck and a cheerful expression. Until the last years of his life, when he suffered from fevers and dragged one leg, he enjoyed good health.
9. He didn't constantly throw banquets, but when he did, on special occasions, they were usually lavish. His hobbies included horseback riding, swimming, bathing in natural hot springs, and hunting. He suffered from insomnia and would often have restless nights, which meant there were times when he stayed in his bedchamber for days on end. If there was a dispute to be solved during those times, rather than get up and deal with it, he would summon those involved to his bedroom in order to tell them what to do. His favourite food was roast meat, which he refused to give up in later years despite advice from his doctors, who thought he should switch to boiled meat.
10. Charlemagne died on 28 January 814 of pleurisy. He was succeeded by his son Louis I, also known as Louis the Pious.

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