Last Days and Death
It is not remarkable that the fame of such a sovereign spread far and
near throughout the world. Representatives of all nations were found at
his court. The heathen Avar with braided frontlets, the haughty Count of
Lombardy in silk and peacock feather, the turbaned Arab, the fierce
Saxon, the lithe Anglo-Saxon, the Bavarian, and the Frank mingled with
white-robed priest, dark-cowled monk, and gowned Jew. Princes of Asia
and Africa contended for the favor of the great Western Emperor, among
them Harun-al-Rashid ("Aaron the Just"), Mohammedan caliph of Asia.
Charlemagne had sent an embassy to this powerful prince, who ruled at
the marvellous city of Bagdad, asking him to extend his protection to
Western Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem. Harun graciously acceded to
this request. He sent Charlemagne the banner of Jerusalem and the keys
to the Holy Sepulchre as a symbol of his sovereignty over that city.
These gifts were followed by others, costly gold-embroidered silken
stuffs, frankincense, balsam, and spices, also monkeys and an elephant.
The chronicles state that in return Charlemagne sent him Spanish horses
and mules and Frisian robes, white, gray, sapphire, and variegated,
besides hounds of the largest and best kind for chasing and catching
lions and tigers. Charlemagne had a hospital built in Jerusalem where
needy pilgrims could be cared for. Ibrahim, the African prince who ruled
over Mauritius, sent him a Libyan lion, a Numidian bear, Iberian steel,
and purple from Tyre. Another gift by Harun was a brass water-clock,
which was so constructed that a hand revolved during the twelve hours;
and as each was completed, brass balls falling upon a metal basin gave
out a clear tone announcing the hour.
Charlemagne was at this time over sixty years of age. His white hair and
beard added to his majestic appearance. His fourth wife had recently
died, and he now, upon suggestions from Rome, considered a union with
the Empress Irene of Greece. The real nefariousness of this woman was
not revealed until later; and at this time the Emperor knew no reason
why he should not marry her. But it is to be remembered that in every
action Charlemagne conducted himself not as a private person, but as the
ruler of a great empire. The only question which arose in his mind was
whether such a union would accrue to the advantage of the Christian
world and his own people. He decided that it would, and entered upon the
preliminaries of a settlement. Then came news of the dethronement of
Irene and her banishment to Lesbos--an event which was subsequently
justified and which proved to be very fortunate for him.
An agreement was made with the Saxons in the year 803 at Selz on the
Saale, which secured peace for the future. In consideration of the
restoration of their old rights and customs they promised to refrain
from any resistance to the spread and maintenance of Christianity in
Saxony, and to accept the incorporation of their country as part of the
Frankish Empire.
In 808 the aged hero again took the field. He led an expedition against
Gottfried, King of Denmark, who in years past had been so busy inciting
Saxon revolt. But the Emperor's purpose was not to obtain satisfaction
for old offences, but to stamp out new hostilities. The Obotrites,
allies of the Franks, had been suddenly attacked by Gottfried; Danish
vessels had harried the German coast; and the Danes had made several
landings and pillaged and murdered. Driven back by Carl, the Emperor's
oldest son, Gottfried reached a spot several miles beyond the Schley,
where a wall had been constructed across the country, still known as the
"Danewerk." During this expedition the Emperor was thrown from his
horse, which caused his lance to fly from his hand, and his sword to
drop from his belt. Many regarded this as an unfortunate omen; but
Gottfried and Charlemagne did not meet on the field. Gottfried was slain
by some of his own people, and Hemming, his brother and successor,
hastened to send a peace embassy to Charlemagne. A treaty was negotiated
by which Denmark renounced all claim upon the territory for which it had
striven, south of the Eider, which was recognized as the northern
boundary of the Frankish Empire.
When Charlemagne returned to Aix-la-Chapelle he was taken ill for the
first time in his life. He regarded his ailment, however, as nothing
worse than a slight feverish attack, and resumed his official duties in
a few days. For the first time his people began to realize that he was
mortal, and to ask themselves what might happen to the Empire if he were
taken away.
Of Charlemagne's three sons, the two eldest, Carl and Pepin, had proved
themselves heroes in the field. Of these two, Carl, who most closely
resembled his father in face and figure, was his favorite. To his great
disappointment, however, he was forced to admit to himself that Ludwig,
the youngest, should the emergency occur, would be unfitted to be his
successor, and unqualified to assure the perpetuity of the Empire. And
what was this great Empire? It was bounded on the north by the Eider and
the Baltic, on the south by the Tiber and the Mediterranean, on the east
by the Elbe and the Raab, and on the west by the Ebro and the Atlantic,
recalling the extent and power of the old Roman Empire under Cæsar and
Augustus.
Charlemagne long and anxiously considered the situation before he
decided to call an assembly of the dignitaries of State and Church and
submit his plans for the division of the sovereignty. These plans
provided for the assignment of the young Carl to the principal part of
the Frankish Empire, the predominating German nations; Pepin to the
Italian, and Ludwig to those possessions which at a subsequent period
became the principal part of France.
The circle of those nearest the heart of the great Emperor gradually
grew smaller. His mother, Bertha, had already been dead twenty years.
This rare woman, who in her will provided ample chests of linen to poor
weavers and spinners, enjoyed his love and filial care to the very last.
The Academy still numbered many excellent scholars in its membership;
but there was no one to fill the place of that wise teacher and close
friend, Alcuin, who died about this time. In 810 the Emperor's eldest
daughter, Rotrud, died. Hardly had he recovered from this blow when news
came of the death of Pepin, after a brief illness.
Alas! of what avail are human plans? Too often they are like the dust
scattered by the wind. The Emperor bore his grief manfully, and labored
with his customary devotion in his affairs of State and at the academy.
In these last days he began with extraordinary enthusiasm to write a
German grammar. Unfortunately it was not finished, and the only
fragments left of it are the names which he gave to the months and the
winds.
The next year (811) was not finished before fresh tidings of sorrow
came. Carl, the Emperor's favorite son, was snatched away by death in
the very prime of his life, as his brother Pepin had been shortly
before. Still the Emperor wasted no time in mourning. He attended to his
duties as usual; but after this last blow his face never wore a smile
again.
The only remaining son was the one who had shown himself the least
capable. What solicitude for the future of his race and Empire must have
overwhelmed the Emperor!
[Illustration: _OTTO THIRD in the crypt of Charlemagne_]
In the year 813 Charlemagne summoned the notables of the Empire to an
assembly at Aix-la-Chapelle. He announced to them that he had arranged a
definite settlement of the boundary question with Greece, Denmark, and
the Moors, which gave great satisfaction to them. Thereupon he
proclaimed his son Ludwig King of the Franks, and added that he also
wished, with their consent, to invest him with the dignity of Roman
Emperor. They gave their consent, but there were grief in the hearts and
tears in the eyes of many of them.
Upon the day fixed for the coronation Charlemagne appeared in the
Cathedral imperially arrayed, and met the notables assembled there. He
led his son Ludwig to the altar, where a throne had been placed. After
they had offered prayer they arose, and Charlemagne made a solemn
address to his son in which he bade him always to be mindful of the
duties of a sovereign, closing with these words:
"Compel malicious and dangerous disturbers by force to live in an
orderly manner and pursue the right way. Be the consoler and defender of
the cloisters and the poor. Select only wise, just, and firm
counsellors. Never remove one except for proper reasons, and so conduct
yourself that you may have no cause to blush before God or man."
When Ludwig had promised to follow these counsels the Emperor ordered
him to take the crown from the altar and place it upon his head. This
was done. The Emperor was a loyal adherent of the Church, but he did not
care to have the ceremony performed by priestly hands, as he feared that
it might open the way to future assumptions of a dangerous kind.
Supported by his son, the venerable Emperor thereupon left for the
palace.
Ludwig went temporarily to Aquitaine, which had been assigned to him.
The separation between father and son was a painful one, for neither
felt that they should see each other again.
The people were greatly troubled, particularly by a remarkable event
which shortly occurred and so worked upon the popular fancy that they
expected some dire calamity would follow. The colonnade connecting the
palace and the minster was struck by lightning, the dome was injured,
and the last words upon the altar, "Carolus princeps," were effaced. But
Charlemagne gave no attention to it. It was of little consequence to
him.
The year 814 opened. It was plain to all that the Emperor was growing
weaker. On the twenty-seventh of January the last rites were
administered by Bishop Heldebald in both forms, and early the next day
Charlemagne passed away in the seventy-second year of his age and the
forty-seventh of his reign, with the words "Into Thy hands I commit my
spirit."
The real nature of this calamity is shown by the discussion which took
place as to the suitable manner of the Emperor's interment. He who had
so long watched over the welfare of the Empire, he who had so often sat
upon his steed as the battle hero, upon his throne as lawgiver, judge,
and counsellor, and as teacher among the scholars of the academy, should
he now lie in a coffin? They could not conceive of it. It was repugnant
to the sentiment of all those whose hearts were overcome by their great
loss. After earnest discussion they decided upon a form of interment
which should reflect the greatness of that loss. Seated upon a marble
throne with gold adornments, in imperial garb glistening with golden
bees, the crown upon his head, sword and pilgrim's scrip at his side, a
Testament upon his knees, and a fragment of the Holy Cross at his
breast, thus was the dead Emperor lowered to the crypt of the minster,
which was filled with the costliest spices.
One hundred and eighty-six years later, in the year 1000, the German
Emperor Otto the Third, who was a victim of melancholy, opened the
crypt, hoping that the sight of the great dead would restore peace and
rest to his soul. The glare of torches revealed the majestic figure of
the Emperor, still sitting upright on his throne. Otto, however, did not
find the rest for which he had hoped. Had he realized the spirit of the
Emperor, had he studied him in his great works, perhaps it would have
brought him relief and the fresh incentive to activity might have
resulted in more faithful performance of his duties as sovereign.
A century and a half later the crypt was again opened by Barbarossa, who
ordered that the precious remains of Charlemagne should be placed in a
marble casket and buried in the Cathedral.
While reflecting with reverence upon this picture of the Emperor in the
crypt, we should also consider the picture of the living Emperor, as
revealed in this story of his earthly pilgrimage. If we do this in the
right way, refusing to be influenced by those harpies who pursue all
great and noble men in history that they may besmirch their memories, we
shall be inspired by the example of his great deeds to make our own
pilgrimage a blessing both to ourselves and others.
Footnotes
[1]Ingelheim is a small town in Hesse, eight miles west of Mainz.
[2]Johannisberg is a village near Wiesbaden, famous for its wine.
[3]The Rheingau is a district on the right bank of the Rhine, also
famous for its vineyards.
[4]Aachen is the German name of Aix-la-Chapelle, famous for its baths
and the Cathedral founded by Charlemagne, where his marble throne is
preserved.
[5]A canton of Switzerland, which was once subject to the monastery of
Saint Gall.
[6]The Alemanni were a German race which occupied the region from the
Main to the Danube.
[7]The Burgundians were also a German race which invaded Gaul and
founded the Kingdom of Burgundy.
[8]The West Goths are usually called Visigoths.
[9]Clovis, founder of the Merovingian line, was born about 465 and was
the son of Childeric. He married the Christian princess Clotilde in
493 and, after victories over the Alemanni and Burgundians,
established his court in Paris in 507. He died in 511.
[10]The word "family," as used in this translation, signifies "tribe."
[11]Toul is on the Moselle River in France. It is an important fortress
and strategic point. It was annexed to France in 1648 and is one of
the towns besieged by the Germans in the war of 1870.
[12]Theodoric the Great invaded Italy in 493, became sole ruler there,
and founded the East-Gothic power.
[13]The mayor of the palace was an official having great authority in
the court. He was elected by the chiefs and acted almost
independently of his master.
[14]The origin of the temporal power of the Pope.
[15]Charlemagne.
[16]Austrasia corresponds to the western part of Germany.
[17]Neustria corresponds to Northern France and Flanders.
[18]Desiderius, who reigned from 756 to 774, was the last of the Lombard
kings. At this time he had invaded the Papal possessions.
[19]Bertha was designated as "Bertha with the large foot," because one
of her feet was larger than the other. All kinds of romances have
been woven about her. She died at Choisy in 783 at a very advanced
age.
[20]Gisela had already declined an offer of marriage from Leo the
Fourth, King of Greece.
[21]A town in Alsace-Lorraine on the Moselle River, near Metz.
[22]The capital of the province of Pavia, on the Ticino River. It has
been the scene of war and siege for centuries.
[23]Charlemagne was made a patrician in the time of Pepin.
[24]An old Benedictine Abbey on the Weser.
[25]Paulus Diaconus was born about 720 and died before 800. He was the
great historian of his time, his principal work being a "History of
the Lombards."
[26]A range, of mountains in Brunswick, Anhalt, Hanover, and Saxony.
[27]A river in Central Germany, emptying into the Saale at Naumburg.
[28]Nordalbingia included the country now known as Holstein.
[29]Saint Boniface was an English missionary called "The Apostle of
Germany."
[30]Arminius, who achieved German independence, was the Saxon hero, and
they called this idol "Irminsul," another form of "Hermann Saule"
("Hermann's Pillar").
[31]Benevento, a Lombard duchy in Southern Italy.
[32]The chief tributary of the Rhine in Prussia.
[33]Wittekind was the Saxon leader against Charlemagne and conducted the
war until 785, when he submitted.
[34]Field of May.
[35]A town in the province of Hanover, near Bremen.
[36]A small town in Ardennes, France.
[37]The Avars were a savage robber people inhabiting what is now
Hungary.
[38]A bishopric of the old German Empire containing the abbey of Fulda.
[39]The River Enns separates Upper and Lower Austria.
[40]The River Sau or Save is one of the principal tributaries of the
Danube, and joins that river at Belgrade.
[41]The modern Vienna.
[42]When Charlemagne expelled the Avars he made the district between the
Enns and the Wienerwald the boundary of the Kingdom. "Oestmark"
signifies "East mark" or limit, and "Oesterreich" means Austria.
[43]Alcuin, the prelate and scholar, was born at York, England, in 735,
and died at Tours in 804. He was master of the school of the palace
and general superintendent of all Charlemagne's educational reforms.
He was an authority on theology, history, grammar, rhetoric; he
revised the Vulgate, and was also a poet.
Appendix
The following is a chronological statement of the most important events
in the life of Charlemagne:
742 Birth of Charlemagne.
768 Accession to the throne conjointly with Carloman.
771 Death of Carloman.
772 Saxon War.
773 War with the Lombards.
777 Mayfield at Paderborn.
778 War with Arabs in Spain.
785 Submission of Wittekind.
788 Bavaria subdued.
800 Crowned Emperor at Rome.
808-810 Defeated the Danes.
814 Death of Charlemagne.
814 Accession of Ludwig.
LIFE STORIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
_Translated from the German by_
GEORGE P. UPTON
28 Volumes Now Ready
_Historical and Biographical_
Barbarossa
William of Orange
Maria Theresa
The Maid of Orleans
Frederick the Great
The Little Dauphin
Herman and Thusnelda
The Swiss Heroes
Marie Antoinette's Youth
The Duke of Brittany
Louise, Queen of Prussia
The Youth of the Great Elector
Emperor William First
Elizabeth, Empress of Austria
Charlemagne
Prince Eugene
Eugénie, Empress of the French
Queen Maria Sophia of Naples
_Musical Biography_
Beethoven
Mozart
Johann Sebastian Bach
Joseph Haydn
_Legendary_
Frithjof Saga
Gudrun
The Nibelungs
William Tell
Arnold of Winkelried
Undine
Illustrated. Each 50 cents _net_
A. C. McCLURG & CO., Chicago
Transcriber's Notes
--Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public
domain in the country of publication.
--In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the
HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.)
--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and
dialect unchanged.