True History - Veritas Card #8 - Charles Martel, Pepin the Short, and Charlemagne

Charles Martel, Pepin the Short, and Charlemagne - 714-814

   First we have Charles Martel, who was the hero of the Battle of Tours. He had a son named Pepin the Short, who followed his father in the same high office. Pepin the Short had a son named Charlemagne. Charlemagne was also known as 'Charles the Great'.
   In the Battle of Tours, Charles Martel stopped the Muslims from conquering Christian Europe. He was the practical leader of the Franks, who were later known as the French.
   Pepin the Short went further than his father. After placing King Childeric in a monastery, he took over the throne, then asked the blessing of the pope (Pope Zacharias). Pepin was crowned king in 751. After this happened, people mistakenly thought that the pope had the right to give and take away kingdoms. This led in part to the reestablishment of the western empire. It also was the beginning of a struggle of the papacy and the Empire, which became a dominant theme of the Middle Ages.
     After Pepin died, his son, Charlemagne and his brother ruled, until the brother died. Then Charlemagne ruled alone. Charlemagne was made Holy Roman Emperor by the pope in the year 800. Here are some of the things Charlemagne sought to establish:
1. law and order
2. civilization
3. Christianity as the true religion

  Charlemagne's favorite book was The City of God (Augustine). His realm covered Northern Italy, the northeast portion of Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, most of Germany and Austria. He was reported to be a great leader.