Emperor of the West: Charlemagne and the Carolingian Empire

(Paperback)

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Through his foreign conquests and internal reforms, Charlemagne is a defining figure of both Western Europe and the Middle Ages. Crowned king of the Franks in 768, he expanded their kingdoms into an empire that incorporated much of western and central Europe, recreating a single Christian imperium in the heartlands of the old Western Roman empire for the first time since the decline and fall of that polity in the late fifth century AD. After his imperial coronation Charlemagne was seen as a rival, in power and majesty, of the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople.

Charlemagne's empire, and the cultural golden age that is associated with it, encouraged the formation of a common European identity. In this magisterial new study, Hywel Williams explores every facet of the rule and legacy of one of the most remarkable rulers in European history. Emperor of the West is a major contribution to early medieval history, and is essential reading for anyone interested in the wider history of Europe.

Reviews

'a substantial and worthwhile volume ... a valuable book' Journal of Ecclesiastical History. * Journal of Ecclesiastical History *
'A magisterial survey of the great European emperor, of the Latin culture of his court and the political extent of his domains' A.N. Wilson, Observer. * Observer *
'This scholarly and meticulously researched biography is a book one really does want to read' Simon Heffer, Sunday Telegraph. * Sunday Telegraph *
'Excellent and thought-provoking ... tells the story of an iconic figure for the new Europe' Tom Shippey, Times Literary Supplement. * Times Literary Supplement *

Author Bio

Hywel Williams is a historian, journalist and broadcaster. He is the author of the political expose Guilty Men, Cassell's Chronology of World History (2005) and Britain's Power Elites (2006). His Quercus credits include Days that Changed the World (2006) and Sun Kings (2007).