Charlemagne's imperial coronation in Rome
About this date: The imperial coronation is conventionally dated 25 December 800; Einhard retrospectively discusses its circumstances.
Leo III crowns Charlemagne emperor in Rome. Einhard connects the event to the king's intervention after violence against the pope and describes tensions with the eastern imperial court.
Historical context
The ceremony binds Roman ecclesiastical authority to Frankish kingship while raising questions about imperial legitimacy alongside the continuing empire at Constantinople.
Key points
- The coronation follows a crisis involving Leo III.
- Einhard claims Charlemagne would have avoided the ceremony had he known its plan.
- Relations with eastern emperors remain an explicit concern in the biography.
People
- Charlemagne
- Leo III
- Einhard
Sources and further reading
- Life of Charlemagne: the imperial title
Retrospective court biography and discussion of church patronage.