Charlemagne

Char·le·magne

biographical name \ˈshär-lə-ˌmān\

Definition of CHARLEMAGNE

742–814 Charles the Great or Charles I Frankish king (768–814) & emp. of the West (800–814)

Rhymes with CHARLEMAGNE

acid rain, aeroplane, appertain, aquaplane, Aquitaine, ascertain, Bloemfontein, bullet train, cell membrane, cellophane, Charles's Wain, chatelain, chatelaine, counterpane, daisy-chain, down the drain, entertain, featherbrain, focal plane, foreordain, frangipane, free throw lane, gravy train, gyroplane, high-octane, hurricane, hydroplane, hyperplane, inclined plane, inhumane, Kwajalein, London plane, marocain, Mary Jane, memory lane, mise-en-scène, monoplane, Novocain, novocaine, paravane, paper-train, peneplain, pollen grain, Port of Spain, power train, preordain, pursuit plane, rattlebrain, rhizoplane, rocket plane, scatterbrain, shaggymane, Spanish Main, sugarcane, suzerain, take in vain, Tamerlane, tangent plane, terreplein, toilet train, tramontane, transmontane, unit train, urethane, wagon train, water main, weather vane, whooping crane, windowpane, yellow rain

Charlemagne

biographical name    (Concise Encyclopedia)

(born April 2, 747?—died Jan. 28, 814, Aachen, Austrasia) King of the Franks (768–814) and emperor (800–14). The elder son of the Frankish king Pippin III (the Short), he ruled the Frankish kingdom jointly with his brother Carloman until the latter's death in 771. He then became sole king of the Franks and began a series of campaigns to conquer and Christianize neighbouring kingdoms. He defeated and became king of the Lombards in northern Italy (774). His expedition against the Muslims in Spain failed (778), but he successfully annexed Bavaria (788). Charlemagne fought against the Saxons for many years, finally defeating and Christianizing them in 804. He subdued the Avars of the Danube and gained control of many of the Slav states. With the exception of the British Isles, southern Italy, and part of Spain, he united in one vast state almost all the Christian lands of western Europe. His coronation as emperor at Rome on Christmas Day, 800, after restoring Leo III to the papacy, marks the revival of the empire in Latin Europe and was the forerunner of the Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne established his capital at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle), where he built a magnificent palace. He invited many scholars and poets to assist him in the promotion of the religious and cultural revival known as the Carolingian renaissance. He also codifed the laws and increased the use of writing in government and society. He was succeeded on his death by his son Louis the Pious, whom Charlemagne had crowned coemperor in 813. See also Carolingian dynasty.

Variants of CHARLEMAGNE

Charlemagne or Carolus Magnus (“Charles the Great”)