Home
Charlemagne: 1200th Anniversary of Death Scott 1566-1567 (2014) January 28 serves as the feast day for Charlemagne. Charles the Great (Karl der Grosse, or Charlemagne) was born in 748 AD. He would go on to become the King of the Franks after 768, King of the Lombards after 774, and Emperor after 800. A cult supporting Charlemagne dates from the 12th century. He was named a saint by Antipope Paschal III in 1165, a designation which was later revoked at the Third Lateran Council in 1179. Charlemagne's name does not appear in the Roman Martyrology, although he could be considered a local or regional saint in parts of the former Frankish Kingdom (now portions of eastern France and western Germany). However, Charlemagne has great historical importance for the Church, the spread of Christianity, and the foundation of Western Europe. He has been termed the Father of Europe. The idea of the later Holy Roman Empire dates from his coronation as emperor on Christmas Day 800 by Pope Leo III at St. Peter’s Basilica. This led to what might be termed in retrospect as the beginning of Western Civilization. In the words of historian and diplomat James Bryce, the union of the Roman and Germanic civilizations led to the formation of Europe in the wake of the Roman Empire The Church (and the papacy) benefited from its association with Charlemagne, especially the stability which flowed from the Frankish government. Centralized government, the development of a legal system, and education stem from the Carolingian Renaissance that flourished in the Kingdom of the Franks developed under Charlemagne. Charlemagne died on January 28, 814 AD, in Aachen, Germany. A two-stamp set was issued in 2014 to commemorate the 1200th anniversary of Charlemagne’s death. The €0.85 stamp features an equestrian statue of Charlemagne by Agostino Comacchini, along with views of the Benedictine Abbey of Fulda (Hesse, Germany) and Cathedral of Saint Denis (Paris, France) in the background. The €1.90 stamp depicts a classic iconographic image of Charlemagne, with scepter and org. The Cathedral of Aachen, the site of his tomb, is also presented on the stamp. Article Link: |
