The purpose of this research is to examine the life of Charlemagne, the eighth-century Frankish king who was the first to establish meaningful control over what is today the bulk of continental western Europe, chiefly through the eyes of his two principal medieval biographers, Einhard and Notker the Stammerer. The plan of the research will be to set forth the context in which Charlemagne's life may most appropriately be examined, and then to explore the ways in which and reasons for which each of the biographers develops and illuminates the life of the king.
The most important segment of the biography, considered from a world-historical point of view, is that which may seem the most controversial, even shocking, to modern ears. This is of course the segment that deals with Charlemagne's various forays in all directions, in wars of conquest or reconquest. Einhard's positioning of the discussion of Charlemagne's conquests of the continent is fundamental to his design, or what might be termed the political and cultural background of his biography. What must be understood about Einhard's biography of Charlemagne is that it was written by a courtier. But as a courtier, Einhard's political view, frankly partial, has to be recognized as profoundly patriotic. To put it another way, Einhard sought to develop the biography in a way that would legitimate, rationalize--perhaps excuse--the behavior of Charlemagne as a conquering king. If Einhard can explicate Charlemagne's motives and higher political or social purposes, on this view, he can also make an enduring case for the political or cultural hegemony of the post-Charlemagne Frankish kingdom that constitutes Charlemagne's legacy. In one sense, this can be taken as Einhard's search for meaning in the accidentals of the history of the Frankish kingdom. In another, it can be taken at face value, inasmuch as it is Einhard's stated intent to immortalize a king whom he openly admires. ...