An absorbing biography of the great leader who was the bridge between ancient and modern Europe — the first major study in more than twenty-f...
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reviews
Mar 01, 2009
Paulkelly05
rated it: 
This book reads like a term paper from a mediocre student. The thesis is forced, the cynicism is heavy, and the bizarre comparisons to political events 1000 years later makes one wonder who would publish this.
The thesis is that the current European Union can trace its origin to Charlemagne. Do prove such a thesis, you have to be able to separate Charlemagne from Christianity, no easy feat. Secondly, you have to ignore the 1200 years of history between the two points.
Un More...
The thesis is that the current European Union can trace its origin to Charlemagne. Do prove such a thesis, you have to be able to separate Charlemagne from Christianity, no easy feat. Secondly, you have to ignore the 1200 years of history between the two points.
Un More...
Dec 15, 2010
Alchymyst
rated it: 
I understand the problem of writing a biography of Charlemagne -- the man left no written records, his official biographer wrote what was essentially a propaganda piece, etc. So reliable sources are hard to come by, meaning that the book by necessity will be full of analysis and attempts to establish facts. That's not really the problem. The problem is that this particular book is rather shallow, cursory, with rather uninspired commentary by the author. It's just sort of ... boring. I'm sure tha
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Jan 24, 2010
John
rated it:
Charlemagne, aka Charles the Great, ruled the Frankish kingdom of what is now western Europe from 771 to 814. Initially, the rule was split with his younger brother, who conveniently died at an early age. Through military conquest and the force of his personality, he built the kingdom to the point that it roughly comprised present-day France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands at his death, and he earned the title Father of Europe.
Charlemagne presents a problem for the More...
Charlemagne presents a problem for the More...
Jun 29, 2011
Nate
rated it: 
This book is 1/3 biography, 1/3 political history, and 1/3 analysis, as the divisions of the contents imply. Overall, it is well written and interesting. Part of me wishes that it were three separate book as each section left me wanting a bit more depth. Nonetheless, I would still recommend this as an introduction to Charlemagne.
Jan 16, 2009
Spike
rated it:
Its tough to write a biography about someone who lived 1200 years ago I guess. There is only so much source material, and even that is a little raw to say the least. Otherwise the rest is left up to interpretation and analaysis by the author.
Jun 10, 2011
Steven
rated it: 
Note to self: Read everything by Derek Wilson. His style is informative while exciting to read. And oh yeah, Charlemagne is manly.
Apr 23, 2008
Haleth
rated it: 
Beyond the name and the legend of a sleeping monk, I didn't know much about Charlemagne until reading this book.
An immense library of fables grew around the figure of Charlemagne. This book removes the layers of stories that have accumulated over the ages. Unfortunately, there is so little left that it is difficult, outside of pure generalities, to form an opinion of Charlemagne as an individual.
There is also an outline of how Napoleon and other ambitious individual More...
An immense library of fables grew around the figure of Charlemagne. This book removes the layers of stories that have accumulated over the ages. Unfortunately, there is so little left that it is difficult, outside of pure generalities, to form an opinion of Charlemagne as an individual.
There is also an outline of how Napoleon and other ambitious individual More...
Jan 30, 2011
RK
rated it:
this book was great--often hilarious, and has made me a fan of Derek Wilson.
Sep 11, 2008
Alec
rated it:
This biography of Charlamagne was pretty interesting. I picked it up on a whim at the library because I didn't know much about him. Still don't as there was a dearth of too much personal information (I like the gossipy biographies better). The author's main point was that Charlemagne's mythology set the stage for a lot of the impetus behind a united Europe. It wasn't too jargony, though I thought the author assumed a lot of familiarity with the rulers of Europe throughout the ages, and didn't
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Nov 13, 2008
Julia
rated it:
Great great book. I liked how the author broke up the book to encompass not only Charlemagne's life, but his impact on Europe. It's heavy reading and took me a long time to finish, but it was worth it!
Feb 14, 2009
Malini
rated it:
I felt like the 150 pages of biography were there simply to justify a much-too-short analysis of how Charlemange's legacy shaped development of European identity. Very unsatisfying.
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