Prof. Dr. Lothar Kolmer: Karl der Große und Tassilo III. – Eine bayerische Katastrophe

1200 years ago, on January 28, 814, Emperor Charlemagne, known as "the Great," died in his palace in Aachen. He was arguably one of the most important rulers of the Western world. Under his rule, the Frankish Empire had expanded enormously, stretching from the Elbe River to the Pyrenees, and from the North Sea coast to central Italy. A warlord by nature, Charlemagne spent much of his life on military campaigns. He repeatedly attacked the Saxons and their leader, Widukind. He brought a harsh end to Bavaria's independence by subjugating his cousin, Duke Tassilo III. Charlemagne maintained diplomatic relations with Byzantium and the Islamic world. At the same time, he saw himself as the protector of the Church in his empire and asserted his authority even in matters of dogma. His coronation by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day in 800 in Rome marked the renewal of the Roman Empire in Western Europe. In the realm of intellectual life, he initiated an educational reform known as the "Carolingian Renaissance," and at his court he gathered leading scholars of his time. Charlemagne—a legend even in his own lifetime, later shrouded in myth, and repeatedly appropriated for political purposes—is considered a figure who shaped European historical consciousness, and whose empire is regarded as the nucleus of modern Europe. Hence the question: How relevant is he today? The presentation by Prof. Dr. Lothar Kolmer, Professor of Medieval History and Historical Auxiliary Sciences, Director of the Center for Gastrosophy at the University of Salzburg, was entitled: Charlemagne and Tassilo III—A Bavarian Catastrophe.