Charlemagne, also known as "Charlemagne", was the king of the Frankish kingdoms of the early Middle Ages in Europe. In Chinese context he is called "Charlemagne", but it has been suggested that the French word for "Man" (French: -magne) in Charlemagne (French: Carolus Magnus) evolved from the Latin word "great" (Latin: magnus) and already contains the meaning of "the great", while "Charlemagne" is a mistranslation of the French word.
In 768, Charlemagne succeeded to the throne after the death of his father Pepin III (also known as "Pepin the Dwarf"). Charlemagne initially ruled the kingdom together with his brother Carloman I, and did not become the only ruler of the Frankish kingdom until after carloman I's death. He continued his father's foreign policy, and his approach to the Pope's administration made the Frankish kingdom a protectorate of the Pope. In 774, Charlemagne, on the pretext of rescuing the Pope, attacked the Lombard Kingdom and captured all of Lombardy.
On Christmas Day 800, Charlemagne was crowned "Emperor of the Romans" and "Initiator of Civilization" at St. Peter's Basilica, the first Pope-sanctioned emperor in Western Europe three centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. After this, Charlemagne sent troops to Byzantium, Bohemia, Slavic, and Denmark, further expanding his sphere of influence. The Great Franks founded by Charlemagne are known as the Carolingian Empire, and Charlemagne is also known as the "Father of Europe". For the first time since the Roman Empire, Charlemagne unified much of Western Europe.
Charlemagne's reign also led to a renaissance in literature and science in Europe, and he devoted a great deal of resources to religious education. He demanded that the Taoist academy open schools, build libraries, and have the obligation of church schools to recruit the children of the poor. Because Latin was cumbersome and not easy to read, Charlemagne ordered a reform of Latin. This cultural movement is known as the Carolingian Renaissance and is also known as the "First Awakening of Europe".
Charlemagne is also a figure on the poker cards Hearts K and French Tarot cards. It is said that the image on the playing card is due to the accidental sliding of the chisel of the craftsman at that time, which caused him to shave off the beard on the upper lip when carving the figure of Charlemagne on the wooden board, and the subsequent playing card Red Heart K was made based on this painting.
Charlemagne (left), Peach K (center) of Parisian playing cards, and K of Peaches, now commonly used playing cards (right)