Charlemagne (also known as Charles I)

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Charlemagne (also known as Charles I)

742-814

European ruler who conquered and united most of Europe, creating an entity reminiscent of the Roman Empire. He was proclaimed the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo III in 800. Charlemagne raised the level of cultural and intellectual life throughout Europe, founding schools and bringing together at his court intellectuals from throughout the Empire. His reign initiated the intellectual and political recovery of Europe from the Dark Ages.

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