The Coronation at Rome
Pope Hadrian died at the close of the year 795. Charlemagne was so
overcome by the death of the venerable prelate that he shed tears when
the sad news was told him. Hadrian had looked upon him as the defender
of the Church; and in his relations to the King there was not a trace of
that ambition which characterized later Popes, to the detriment of
Christianity.
Hadrian's successor, Leo the Third, hastened to ingratiate himself with
Charlemagne. He notified the King of his election and sent him a
consecrated silver key as a symbol of his recognition of Charlemagne,
both as the ruler of Roman territory and as a world sovereign.
It is of importance to understand the relations existing between
Charlemagne and the Popes, for they were very different from those which
existed between the later Popes and the German rulers. A letter of
congratulation sent to Leo by Charlemagne throws some light upon them.
It begins:
"We have read the letter from Your Highness and listened to the
decretals, and we heartily congratulate you upon your unanimous
election, the dutiful obedience of your people, and your promises of
loyalty to us."
During the next few years there were outbreaks in Saxony and Spain.
Wittekind and Albion remained faithful to their promises; but not so
some of their people. The disturbances, however, were quelled without
much difficulty. The Moors in Spain, also, who had gained some
advantages, were speedily overcome.
In the year 799 an assault was made upon Pope Leo during a street
procession. It was badly managed, however. The leaders of the mob had
planned to blind the Pope and cut out his tongue, but they only
succeeded in cutting him in the face. The Pope's friends rescued him and
conducted him to a safe place of concealment. The clerical officials,
Paschal and Campulus, relatives of Hadrian, who were in attendance upon
Leo, had been requested by the Pope not to officiate during the
procession. He little dreamed of their treachery, for they were the
abettors of the assault. The Duke of Spoleto, being informed of the
outrage, proceeded at once to Rome with armed followers and escorted Leo
to one of his castles.
As soon as his wounds healed, Leo betook himself to Germany personally
to implore Charlemagne's assistance. At Nuremberg he learned that the
King was holding court at Paderborn, and thither he hastened. Before he
could reach the city, news of his approach was conveyed to the King, who
at once began preparations to give him an honorable reception. He sent
Archbishop Hildebrand and Count Auschar to meet him, but this was only
the beginning of the ceremonies he had arranged. As Leo neared the city,
a troop of cavalry went out to escort him. The King's son, Pepin,
greeted him and conducted him to the plaza, where Charlemagne sat upon
the throne in royal state in the midst of his dignitaries. Rising and
outstretching his arms, the King stepped down, embraced the Pope, and
led him by the hand as he blessed the kneeling people.
On the following day Leo related to the King the details of the
murderous plot against him, of which the scars on his face bore
evidence, and informed him that the conspirators had sought to justify
their act by spreading base calumnies against him. He closed by asking
Charlemagne's help. The King replied that he could not personally
accompany him to Rome, because of fresh disquiet in Saxony and the
Spanish Mark, but he would furnish him an escort headed by Frankish
chiefs, and promised to go to Rome personally as soon as possible. When
the Pope's enemies learned that Charlemagne had received him, their
courage failed them. Leo was greeted with imposing ceremonies, and
Paschal and Campulus were thrown into prison by the Franks.
The Saxon and Spanish affairs having been settled by the close of the
next year (800), Charlemagne, mindful of his promise, went to Rome. The
Pope met him at Novonte and had a private interview with him, at which a
memorable event, soon to occur, doubtless was discussed. The Pope then
returned to Rome to make preparations for Charlemagne's reception, and
on December sixth the King entered the city. His reception was an
imposing one. The people welcomed him with their civic banners, the air
was rent with loyal shouts, and the Pope, surrounded by the dignitaries
of the Church, met him in front of St. Peter's, which he entered
accompanied by the music of the Papal choir. This was only the prelude
to the memorable ceremony for which preparations had been quietly made.
Charlemagne began his magisterial duties in Rome by conducting an
inquiry into the assault upon Leo. The calumnies were proved baseless;
but as the Pope wished personally to establish his innocence,
Charlemagne summoned an assembly of the clerical and secular dignitaries
and called upon anyone who had accusations to make against the Pope to
appear and state them. No one appeared. Thereupon, to purify himself of
all offence, the Pope declared he would make purgation by oath. He rose
and said:
"The all-gracious and powerful King Charlemagne came with his prelates
and princes to investigate these charges. In the presence of all here,
in the presence of God and His angels, who know our inmost souls, and in
the presence of Saint Peter, prince of the apostles, I, Leo, head of the
Holy Roman Church, declare that I am guiltless of the charges made
against me."
He then passed a death sentence upon the conspirators, but Charlemagne
subsequently mitigated the penalty. Paschal and Campulus were sent to a
monastery for penance and their confederates were placed under the ban.
At last the memorable event occurred which made Charlemagne the ruler of
the Christian world. High mass was celebrated by the Pope in the Vatican
on the first day of the Christmas season in the year 800. Charlemagne,
in the elegant attire of a Roman patrician, knelt before the shrine of
the apostle Peter. Suddenly the Pope descended the altar steps, placed a
golden crown upon the King's head, draped him with the royal purple, and
in a loud voice proclaimed: "Long life and success to the pious
Charlemagne, sublime and peace-loving Roman Emperor!"
The choirs sang and the multitude shouted, "Long live the divinely
crowned Augustus Carl, great and pious Roman Emperor!"
The anointing of Charlemagne as Roman Emperor, and of his son Pepin as
King of Italy, closed the ceremony.
It was an event of extraordinary significance. It was not a mere
spectacle or a comedy planned by Leo for purposes of deception, as some
historians have asserted. Charlemagne would never have consented to such
mummery; for he was a giant not only in body but in soul, and was always
swayed by lofty purpose. He regarded the ceremony performed that day in
the Vatican as one of serious moment. It is not conceivable that Pope
Leo conferred this extraordinary honor upon his rescuer merely for his
own advantage. Charlemagne had always shown that he felt he was called
upon to exert all his power for the strengthening and extension of
Christianity.
It must be taken into consideration that at that period hardly a fourth
of Europe had been converted; that the Christian world in the south was
threatened by the Mohammedans, in the north by the heathen Normans, and
in the east by the Slavs and other pagans. From the earliest times the
Eastern emperors had made claims upon Italy, and the Pope had not been
protected until Pepin and Charlemagne appeared. Considering these
things, and the dangerous situation, can anyone blame Leo for
proclaiming the Frankish King, who had saved him before all the world,
as the all-powerful champion of Christendom, and for conferring upon him
a title which would impress all people as the commemoration of a great
deed? It was this last consideration which induced Charlemagne to accept
the title. He detested all outward display. Wherever he went he wore his
plain military costume, but when he represented the people upon public
occasions he did not despise show. He never underestimated the effect of
personal appearance upon the people, and he well knew what the effect of
this title would be. It was full of meaning to the people; but its
significance to him was the completion of the great mission he had
contemplated. As to the motives actuating him, M. Carrière well says:
"Charlemagne made the deeds and achievements of his grandfather and
father the foundation of a lofty historical work. His soul was exalted
with the ideal of a Roman empire and Christian German nation.
Henceforth he devoted all his energies to the work of uniting the
Germans in one organic whole. He brought not only Bavaria, but Saxony
under German authority. From the Eider to the Tiber, from the Ebro to
the Drau, his authority was absolute. When the Pope placed the
imperial crown upon his head, it was the symbol of the work of culture
the Germans would carry on in Rome, and a token that the new city
should be a Christian city, representing God's Kingdom on earth."