Question

Based on Einhard’s account, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Charlemagne. Which characteristics help explain Charlemagne’s success as a ruler? Does Einhard exaggerate Charlemagne’s strengths? What might motivate him to do that? (Ref 175)

Answer 1

Charlemagne's strength as distinguished by Einhard:

1)Piety and generosity. Einhard composes that Charlemagne 'valued with the best intensity and dedication the standards of the Christian religion, which had been imparted into him from earliest stages.' Not just did Charlemagne help devastated Christians in his very own nation, his liberality additionally reached out to destitute Christians abroad. Einhard composes that the ruler assembled a delightful church at Aix-la-Chapelle with the goal that he could revere there steadily.

The ruler is likewise said to be enamored with outsiders and took 'incredible agonies to take them under his assurance.'

2)Good individual propensities. Charlemagne is depicted as a man who is mild in both eating and drinking. Einhard relates that the ruler is so moderate in his utilization of wine that he once in a while permits himself multiple cups at every feast.

3)Fairness. Einhard depicts Charlemagne as a lord who engaged suits from the two his companions just as from any other person who looked for his assistance.

4)Eloquence and industry. Einhard states that Charlemagne was not just knowledgeable in his local language, he likewise made careful arrangements to learn remote ones. Moreover, the ruler is said to have had 'the endowment of prepared and familiar discourse.' Not content with general information, the lord likewise dedicated his opportunity to the investigation of 'rhetoric, logic, and particularly stargazing; he figured out how to figure, and used to explore the movements of the eminent bodies most inquisitively, with a smart examination.'

5)Conquering hero. Einhard states that Charlemagne significantly expanded the intensity of the Frankish kingdom. His wars were said to have been 'skilfully arranged and effectively battled.' Additionally, the ruler had the 'old impolite tunes that praise the deeds and wars of the antiquated lords worked out for transmission to family.'

Charlemagne's weakness as recognized by Einhard:

1)Weight issues. Einhard states that Charlemagne's ' neck was thick and to some degree short, and his paunch rather prominent...' However, Einhard compensates for this unflattering depiction of his godlike object by expressing that 'the symmetry of the remainder of his body disguised these imperfections.'

2)Scant improvement of awful laws. Einhard composes that Charlemagne 'resolved to include what was needing, to accommodate the errors, and to address what was horrible and wrongly refered to' in his kin's laws. In any case, everything he did was 'to enhance the laws by a couple capitularies (authoritative acts), and those, defective ones...' Einhard compensates for this not exactly complimenting portrayal of Charlemagne's genuineness by endeavoring to clarify that the ruler caused the 'unwritten laws of the considerable number of clans that went under his standard to be assembled and diminished to composing,' and that he 'started a sentence structure of his local language.

3)Abysmal composing skills. Although Charlemagne made a decent attempt to figure out how to compose, Einhard discloses to us that his endeavors met with 'sick achievement's since he begun so late throughout everyday life.

The characteristics that help to explain Charlemagne’s success as a ruler are that he skillfully plans and successfully fought wars and he got the good will of several kings which helps him at war tactics and could give him an opportunity at alliances.

Einhard did exaggerate on Charlemagne’s strengths because he was trying to suck up to him and he was also Charlemagne’s son-in-law.

Thanks