Charlemagne: Great Capitulary

Questions for Further Study

• 1. The capitularies of Charlemagne underline the problems associated with communication in early empires. Lacking telephones, printing presses, computers, and postal systems, early rulers had to find ways to communicate their wishes to the far reaches of their empires. How did Charlemagne attempt to solve that problem?
• 2. Charlemagne was a warrior, and he spent much of his adult life engaged in military action to consolidate his empire. Yet the Capitulary of 802 makes repeated references to peace, the rule of law, “mutual charity,” and the like. Do you see any inconsistency? Or would warfare have promoted Charlemagne's desire for a peaceful realm? Explain.
• 3. Charlemagne established a large number of rules regulating the behavior of the clergy and nuns. Why would their behavior have been a matter of great importance to a ruler in Charlemagne's position at that time?
• 4. Many of the provisions of the Capitulary of 802 were designed to curb abuses of various types. What were some of these abuses, and how did the capitulary attempt to stamp them out? How effective do you think these provisions would have been?
• 5. In the twenty-first century, the notion of one emperor “conquering” most of Europe, or any continent, seems almost unthinkable, although Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, had tried to do so during World War II. In the eighth and ninth centuries, however, Charlemagne's conquest of much of Europe seems to have been beneficial in Europe's development. Why? What historical circumstances enabled Charles to become “Charles the Great”?