Good morning, we are going to continue learning about Charlemagne and his life. In the previous episode, he conquered the Lombards and was crowned the King of the Lombards. He had his nephews kidnapped from their mother. The Saxons were trouble and Widukind vowed revenge. The Frankish people grew tired of war, while Charlemagne hoped to expand his kingdom into Spain. Widukind took advantage of Charlemagne’s absence and rebelled. Charlemagne would soon be out for revenge. The run time for this episode is 51:56.
The Saxon leader Widukind kept escaping and was becoming Charlemagne’s nightmare. Capturing him would help break the Saxon resistance for good. The episode starts with Charlemagne holding vigil over his mother’s deathbed. Charlemagne also lost his wife in the same year. He also named a new heir to his throne. His oldest son, Pepin, known as Pepin the Hunchback, was passed over in favor of Charlemagne’s children from his second marriage. Scientists examined the remains of Charlemagne while his sarcophagus was undergoing restoration in 1983. Original examinations showed that he was a tall man and that he died at 60-70 years. His skeleton was in good condition for his age. He was an athletic man who was above average height. Charlemagne’s skull was also examined. It showed that he exceeded the lifespan of the average frank. So what else did the scientist conclude about Charlemagne? He was tall, but not abnormally tall for the time. He was athletic. His bones were healthy for a man of the time. He was in good health. Three months after Charlemagne’s wife had died, he remarried a third woman. She was a Frankish noblewoman. The Saxons were also rebelling. However, Charlemagne was contemplating the final judgment. He, like many of his contemporaries, was afraid about what would happen after death. So he wanted to get right before he met his maker. Eventually, Charlemagne would face his mortal enemy once again: Widukind. Widukind would surrender to Charlemagne and would agree to be baptized. Charlemagne was his godfather. The Saxons were similar to the Franks apart from religion and not having kings. The Franks and the Saxons understood each other and had a similar material culture. Widukind’s price for peace was high, but Charlemagne paid it even though the state treasury was empty. Widukind was able to get his estates back when he converted. The Saxons and Franks cemented their alliance in a peace treaty. The Saxons gained influence in the Frankish kingdom. Widukind eventually built an abbey in Westphalia, where he would eventually be buried. The Saxon Wars exhausted the realm. Charlemagne would brutally put down the rebellions. The Frankish Empire expanded as well and would be considered a superpower. Charlemagne was always on the go. He had to keep in touch with his kingdom. His wife would remain behind and run the court. She would take care of the business of the kingdom. He would have never given the business of the Kingdom to either of his previous wives. She was older and more politically important to him. Chroniclers at the time blamed her for the rebellion of Charlemagne’s oldest son Pepin the Hunchback. Aachen had become the main royal residence for Charlemagne and his family. Here was where Charlemagne surrounded himself with scholars. Charlemagne worked to bring scholars to his court. He wanted to implement education reform in the Frankish kingdom. He wanted to educate the Frankish people. Charlemagne’s father started educating the people, and now Charlemagne took on that mantle. He also worked to make sure that he could send his decrees out in a simple, legible alphabet. The Bible in the Carolingian language was produced in his period. Then there was a dictionary of church terms created. What else did Charlemagne do for the Frankish Kingdom? What other reforms did Charlemagne implement? Continue to watch this episode to find out more. Overall, this has proven to be a good series on Charlemagne, even if the descriptions were click-baity at times. The title for this episode was known as Charlemagne’s Bloody Rampage to Defeat His Arch Enemy Widukind. However, this episode went beyond Widukind and talked about Charlemagne’s reforms in education. This would definitely be a documentary to add to a teacher’s arsenal of documentaries.
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