> Which historical figure was also known as "Charles the Great?"And the answer: Charlemagne.With a name that loosely translates to Charles the Great, Charlemagne was amedieval emperor who ruled much of Western Europe in the 8th and 9th centuries.He inspired future leaders such as Napoleon, who sought to unify Europe.Photo credit: Beckstet [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Beckstet].Charlemagne was one of the most prolific conquerers of Western and CentralEurope. Presiding over the Franks, the Lombards, and pretty much anything elsehe could get his hands on, Charlemagne inspired leaders for centuries to come.However, unlike many iconic rulers, not much is definitively known about hisearly life. Although no one knows exactly when and where he was born, modernhistorians speculate that he was born in what is now Germany or Belgium.Regardless of the details, though, we do know that Charlemagne was hardly a manof humble beginnings. As the grandson of a legendary statesman named CharlesMartel, also known as The Hammer, Charlemagne was born the heir to theCarolingian Dynasty. In 768 AD, Charlemagne's father died, passing the kingdom to him and hisbrother. However, when his brother died in 771 AD from what historians believewas a severe nosebleed, Charlemagne consolidated power as the single ruler ofhis kingdom. From there on out, Charlemagne was known for his ability to solveproblems that couldn't be remedied through diplomacy with the more violentalternative: the sword. In fact, Charlemagne even had an iconic sword named Joyeuse (French for "joyful"). The immense territories which Charlemagne controlled became known as theCarolingian empire. Charlemagne introduced administrative reforms throughout thelands he controlled, establishing key representatives in each region and holdinga general assembly each year at his court at Aachen (a city in modern-dayGermany, bordering Belgium and the Netherlands). He standardized weights,measures, and customs dues, which helped improve commerce and initiatedimportant legal reforms, while also attempting to consolidate Christianitythroughout his vast empire. Meanwhile, he persuaded many eminent scholars tocome to his court and established a new library of Christian and classicalworks.Learn more about Charlemagne below.