Charlemagne (French: Charlemagne, German: Karl der Große, English: Charles the Great; 2 April 742 – 28 January 814), also known as Charlemagne ("man" means "the Great"). Carolingian King of the Frankish Kingdom (reigned 768 – 28 January 814) and founder of Charlemagne's Empire.
To this day, the study of foreign relations in the early Middle Ages in Europe remains a focus of historical research. Scholar Barnwell provides an important insight into the fact that foreign relations during this period were recorded only when they were specifically related to the interests of a particular chronicler. This is only an indication of the silence of the contemporary political narrative, but it does not represent a lack of diplomatic relations, and it should not be ignored that most sources are compiled by the authorities, so there are problems of bias and information asymmetry.
In all texts, foreign emissaries sent to meet with the monarch, whether Christian or Muslim, are usually described as a show of weakness or in a position significantly lower than that of the monarch – unless such a description was written by a chronicler on the side of the emissary.
Therefore, understanding the nature of the sources used, the purpose for compiling them, and the context in which this happened is essential to reconstruct early medieval diplomacy. Anyone who studies medieval interactions must remember that it is by no means trivial to describe these contacts, which involved the fame and prestige of the rulers and exposed their true or exaggerated power.
The interaction between Charlemagne, King of the Carolingians, and the Abbasid caliph, Harun al-Rashid, was not the first diplomatic interaction between the Carolingians and the Abbasids, and it certainly will not be the last. According to the historical source Continuation of the Chronicle of Fredgar, between 764 and 767, Charlemagne's father, Pepin III, exchanged envoys and gifts with Caliph al-Mansur. Charlemagne's two envoys to Baghdad occurred between 797 and 807.
The St. Bertin Chronicle notes that the presence of the envoys of the caliph al-Ma'mun at a rally in Tillonville by Louis the Pious in 831 suggests that there is a clear source of evidence of Carolingian and Abbasid interactions.
None of the sources produced during the caliphate make any mention of interactions with the Carolingians, and the absence of Carolingians in the Abbasid chronicles reflects the interests of the compilers rather than the lack of diplomatic relations. The Abbasid historian Tiberi paid enough attention to Muslim lands such as Ifrikia and Al-Andalus, but made no mention of the Franks, with the only regular record being the Byzantine Empire, the caliphate's rival. Solsby provides a contemporary Arabic reference to the contact between Charlemagne and Harun Rashid through apocalyptic prophecies written by Syrian Christians in the early 9th century.
Charlemagne's elephants have always fascinated him, and in the last three decades he has published at least four historical novels about Abu Abbas. In the Carolingian historical sources, there are abundant accounts of elephant gifts. In this chapter, the author mainly sorts out the relevant historical materials about this event, restores the process of the elephant gift event, and tries to objectively analyze the historical materials, and explores the time and process of the elephant gift event and the intention of the author of the historical materials.
Historical records and fact restoration
Regarding the historical documents of the elephant gift, the author has collected four main books, "The Frankish Chronicles of the Royal Family", "The Biography of Charlemagne", "Charlemagne's Achievements", and "Charlemagne's Life Yearbook in Five Volumes". In this section, the author mainly relies on these four historical materials about the chronology of Charlemagne's reign and Charlemagne's personal biography, and briefly reviews the elephant gifting incident.
(1) Excerpt from the Frankish Chronicles of the Royal Family
The Frankish Chronicle of the Royal Family is an important historical source for understanding Charlemagne's reign, and any reconstruction of this crucial epoch in European history must be based on it as a carefully constructed political text, providing an objective façade of chronological terms through a concise, superficially neutral narrative. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain an objective and rigorous attitude in the process of exploring the elephant gifting incident. The chronicles associated with elephants are 801, 802, 810.
In 801, Charlemagne learned that elephants were on their way to and from the Franks.
"The Emperor set out from Spoleto to Ravenna, where he stayed for a few days and then continued his march to Pavia. In Pavia, he received news that the envoys of the Persian king Harun Emir al Mumenin had arrived in the port of Pisa. He was greeted by a royal messenger and brought to the royal palace between Vercelli and Ivrea. Two envoys came. One was an envoy of the Persian king from the East, while the other was a Saracen from Africa, who ruled over Abraham, the emir of the Fustat region. According to his report, Isaac, a Jew sent by the emperor to the king of Persia four years earlier, was on his way back with a large number of gifts, but Ron Fred and Siggimond, who accompanied him on the trip, had unfortunately died. His Majesty then sent the secretary of the Emperor, El Camballard, to Liguria to prepare a fleet of ships to transport elephants and other valuables that Isaac had brought back. In October of that year, Isaac, a Jew, arrived in Port Venere with the elephant and other belongings from Africa, but he was unable to cross the Alps because of the snow, so he stayed in Vecelli for the winter. ”
In July 802, the elephant Abu Abbas arrived in Aachen.
Also in that year, on 20 July, Isaac arrived in Aachen with the elephant and other gifts that the Persian king had sent him, and presented them to the emperor. The elephant had a name, 'Abu 'Abbas. ”
In 810, during Charlemagne's conquest of the Danes in Northern Europe, the elephant died.
"The Emperor was in Aachen and he was considering launching an expedition against the Danish king Godofrid. ...... During this time, the elephant that King Harun of Saracen had given him suddenly died. ”
This concludes the section on the elephant Abu Abbas.
(2) Excerpt from "The Biography of Charlemagne".
As a close friend of Charlemagne's loyal and close friends, Einhard details in chapter 16 of the first part, "His Career at Home and Abroad," details the ways in which foreign leaders sought Charlemagne's friendship after the coronation of the Frankish kings and volunteered to become his subjects. Charlemagne established a harmonious relationship with Harlan Rashid. "King Harun of the Persians, who ruled all the lands of the East except India, established harmonious relations with him. The Persian king valued his friendship more than any other king or prince in the world, and believed that only this friendship was worthy of being developed with gifts and honorific titles.
Therefore, when the envoys sent by Charles to the Holy Sepulchre of the Savior and the place of his resurrection with sacrificial objects came to the king of Persia and expressed the goodwill of their king, he not only complied with their request, but also allowed the holy place to be counted as part of the domain of the king of the Franks. He also sent his envoys back with Charles' envoys, and gave him a large number of gifts—robes, spices, and other valuable oriental goods. A few years ago, he gave Charlie his only elephant at his request. ”
(3) Excerpt from "The Achievements of Charlemagne".
The book was commissioned by Charles the Fat and was written between 886 and 887, much earlier than Charlemagne's time. His narrative contains a wealth of stories about diplomacy that provide an interesting perspective on the relationship between Charlemagne and Harlan Rashid. In Section 8 of Book II, "War and Exploits," he describes how Harun Rashid's envoys arrived in Franks and were received. On the way to the Franks, they were overwhelmed and excited by the fact that they did not know the road, and when they saw Charlemagne. At the same time, they bring abundant gifts.
At about the same time, the Persian kingdom also sent envoys. They did not know where the Frankish state was, but because of the fame of Rome, and the fact that Rome was under the rule of Charles, they considered it a big deal when they were able to reach the shores of Italy. They explained the reason for their journey to the bishops of Campania, Tuscany, Emilia, Liguria, Burgundy, and Gaul, as well as to the abbots and counts of those places, but they were either deceived by them or were actually expelled from them, so that a whole year had passed by the time they finally arrived in Achen, where they had come to see King Charles, whom Delong respected. They arrived in the last week of Lent. When the Emperor learned of their arrival, he postponed the summons until Easter Eve. To celebrate this most important holiday, the incomparable monarch is decorated with unparalleled opulence. He ordered the envoys of the once-world-mighty race to be brought in. But when they saw Charles, the most solemn of all, they were so horrified that one might think that they had never seen a king or an emperor. Charlie, however, received them most kindly, and gave them a special treatment, and they could go wherever they wanted, like his children, to look at anything, and to ask any question they wanted. They jumped for joy at this gift, and they thought that if they could get close to Charles, look at him, and revere him, it would be worth more than the wealth of the whole East.
……
These Persian envoys brought to the emperor an elephant, many monkeys, balsam, rosin, various plasters, spices, perfumes, and a variety of medicinal herbs, as if they were searching for the East in order to fill the West. Soon, they got along very well with the emperor. ”
In addition, during Charlemagne's hunt, Harlan Rashid's envoys were overwhelmed by the sheer size of the animals, and Charlemagne demonstrated his bravery and authority through the hunt. In verse 9, he describes Charlemagne's various gifts to Harun Rashid and the attention that the Frankish hounds attracted in the presence of Harun Rashid after the envoy's return to Baghdad, and even the gift of Jerusalem to Charlemagne. Notek is telling a diplomatic story with an allegorical meaning.
Soon after, the tireless emperor presented the Persian emperor with horses and mules from Spain, and Frisian robes of white, gray, red, and blue, which he had heard were rare and prized in Persia. He also sent the extremely agile and fierce dogs that the Persian king hoped for to hunt the lion and tiger, and the Persian king only glanced at other gifts, but asked the envoys what wild beasts these dogs were Xi to fighting. The envoys told him that whatever they were driving towards, they could quickly drag it over. The king said: 'Very well, experience will prove it.' The next day, the shepherds were heard shouting loudly as they ran away from a lion. When the sound came to the king's court, he said to the envoys: 'My Frankish friends, now mount your horses and follow me.' So they hurried after the king, as if they never knew toil or fatigue. When they saw the lion, though they were still some distance away, the lord of the Persian princes said to them: 'Now let your dogs go and fight the lion.' They obeyed and rushed forward with enthusiasm. The Germanic dogs caught the Persian lion, and the envoys killed it with swords, made of northern metal and quenched with the blood of the Saxons.
The bravest bearer of this title recognized from some small signs the supremacy of Charles, and he praised: 'Now I know that everything I have heard about my brother Charles is true: how he has developed the Xi of subduing all things under heaven by his constant Xi of hunting and his perseverance in exercising his body and mind. How can I repay him for the honour which he has bestowed upon me, and if I give him the land which was promised to Abraham and to Joshua, it will be difficult for him to keep it safe from the barbarians because of the distance so far away, or if he were not a wise king, if he wants to defend it with all his might, I am afraid that the provinces on the borders of the Franks will rise up against his empire. But I would like to express my gratitude to him in this way. I would like to put this land under his authority, and I will rule it as his representative. Whenever he pleases or has the opportunity, he sends an envoy to me, and he will find that I am the faithful administrator of the taxes of this province. ’”
In the end, through this transfer of power in the Holy Land, Banotke reminds Charles the Fat that his father has set up a tax dedicated to the liberation of Christians living in the Holy Land of Jerusalem, "who are taking advantage of the sovereignty that your great-grandfather Charlie and your grandfather Louis held over the land back then." Charles the Fat did receive a letter from Elias, the bishop of Jerusalem, in which he asked for funds to help rebuild the church in the East.
(4) Excerpts from the five-volume Annals of Charlemagne's Life
At the end of the 9th century, an anonymous Saxon poet tells the story of the attention that Harlan Rashid gave to him in 802 and the friendship that was forged between them.
"This year, for the first time, an elephant was brought to their country from a distant region, and it was a wonderful sight for the Franks. The Persian prince Harun gave it as a gift to the emperor. The whole of the East, except India, was under his rule. He took the initiative to seek to establish a bond of friendship between himself and the emperor, believing that Charles was the only one of all the kings of the time to whom Harlan had given him a generous gift for a special honor. He often sent him precious stones, gold, clothing, spices, and other oriental riches, and he allowed the Holy Land of Jerusalem to be permanently vested in Charles's authority. ”
The above four historical records of the elephant Abu Abbas roughly reflect the process of the elephant gifting incident. Although they may differ in details, such as who was involved in the mission or what gifts were transported between Aachen and Baghdad, they confirm that the Carolingian and Abbasid relations did exist.
According to historical sources, in 797, Charlemagne sent two envoys to Baghdad, Ron Fred and Sigimund, accompanied by Isaac, a Jew. In May 801, Charlemagne met with Harun Rashid and the envoys sent by the governor of Abraham in North Africa, and learned that Runtefred and Sigimund had died on the way, and that Isaac and the elephant were on their way back. In October, elephants crossed the Mediterranean from North Africa to the port of Venere, Liguria, Italy, where Isaac and his assistants spent the winter in Vicelli before heading north through the Alps. In July 802, the elephant arrived in Aachen and was known as Abu Abbas.
In 810, during Charlemagne's battle against Denmark in the north, the elephant died. In Charlemagne's court, elephants were always a striking presence. In 825, the Irish monk DeQuill recorded the sensation it caused and the crowds that came to visit it. Later, both Abu Abbas and Charlemagne died, and when Charlemagne's tomb was opened a century later, the people who disturbed the emperor's resting cloth wrapped his body in silk dominated by elephant figures.
Key elements and their analysis
Several historical records of the elephant gift incident show the importance that Carolingian historical materials attach to this event. As mentioned earlier, the description of Charlemagne's interaction with Harlan Rashid, in addition to the event itself, reflects Charlemagne's fame and prestige as ruler, as well as the international status of the Carolingian Empire. Through reading the descriptions of elephant gifts in different texts, the author understands that historians recorded history based on the environment in which they lived. There is no specific description of the time of the elephant's arrival in Aachen in the texts of Ainhard and Banotk, and the Frankish Chronicles of the Royal Family and the five-volume Annals of Charlemagne's Life mention the elephant's arrival in Aachen in 802.
The only drawback is that the historical sources are limited and are not described in detail, and we do not know the exact itinerary of Isaac and the elephant Abu Abbas. After leaving Baghdad, they most likely arrived overland in Jerusalem, from which they were unable to travel to Greece or the Adriatic Sea due to tensions between the Abbasid Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire. Then, by land, most likely along the caravan road, along the route of the ancient Roman road, to the major cities of North Africa, where Charlemagne's appointed clerk, El Cumbarad, was in charge of the logistics of crossing the sea. These are not described in the text, after which we are told that Isaac and the elephant returned from Africa, arriving in Port Venere. After wintering in Wicelli, spring continues its departure and after a long journey, arriving in Aachen on July 20, 802.
In this regard, the author believes that there is no need to deny the authenticity of time. Written by an anonymous author in an environment close to Charlemagne, the chronicle is in almost direct contact with the events recounted, and has not been altered during the time of Louis the Pious. Similarly, the Carolingian Chronicles of Lorsch recorded in 802 that "this year an elephant came to the kingdom of the Franks". Thus, the basic time of the elephants in the Franks can be determined that Abu Abbas arrived in Aachen in 802 and died in 810.
The four historical sources account for the events of elephant gifts, and the texts are different, with the Royal Frankish Chronicle telling how elephants came to Europe. In Pavia, Charlemagne received news of the arrival of two Abbasid envoys to Pisa, who then brought news of the deaths of Runtefried and Sigimund, the time, place, and circumstances of their deaths unknown. At the same time as Isaac, a Jew, was on his way back with a large number of gifts, Charlemagne sent his secretary Al Campballad to Liguria to prepare a fleet of ships to transport elephants and other valuables. In July 802, Isaac arrived in Aachen with elephants. In 810, in the course of a war with the Danish king Godufred, the elephant died suddenly.
Einhard and the anonymous Saxon poet recounted Charlemagne's friendship with Harun Rashid. The authors describe Harun Rashid as having preferred Charlemagne to all the kings and princes of the world, believing that only Charlemagne is worthy of his honor and generosity, calling him "King of Persia", and a perception of Harlan Rashid's immense power, who is said to have "almost all of the East except India." In the author's opinion, the two authors describe the power and authority of Caliph Harun al-Rashid to show that Charlemagne's statement was far-reaching and the Frankish kingdom was famous all over the world.
Stuttering Notek constructs various adventures from Harun Rashid's envoys on their way to the Frankish kingdom, various acts in Charlemagne's court, and a visit by ambassadors around the hunt. The first time, when the Abbasid envoys were frightened by the behemoth of the hunting grounds, and the second time, when the Frankish hounds sent to the Abbasids to kill lions, Harlan Rashid understood Charlemagne's superiority from the details of the hounds, and Harlan Rashid's concession to the jurisdiction of the Holy Land, which culminated in this exchange.
Only the mention of Charlemagne's return gift to Harlan Rashid is mentioned by Banotke, and the other three historical sources do not attempt to record what gifts Charlemagne offered. Al-Ainhard vaguely records that Caliph Harun al-Rashid gave Charlemagne a large number of gifts, in addition to elephants, "robes, spices, and other valuable oriental goods." Anonymous Saxon poets refer to elephants, while often giving Charlemagne precious stones, gold, clothing, spices, and other oriental treasures. According to the stammering Banotke, Harun Rashid gave Charlemagne "an elephant, many monkeys, balsam, rosin, various plasters, spices, perfumes, and a variety of medicinal herbs", as well as a list of Charlemagne's gifts to Harlan Rashid: horses and mules from Spain, robes of various colors rarely seen in Arabia, and fierce hunting dogs.
Lawrence Niels suggests that in addition to what Stutter Notek mentions, slaves and richly decorated manuscripts, especially those with ivory covers, such as Charlemagne's Dargoullph Psalms given to Pope Hadrian I in 795. Only Banotke details the return gift, and since the details of the gift cannot be determined, we cannot know the exact list of Charlemagne's return gifts.
With regard to the Frankish view of the Abbasids, the Chronology of the Royal Franks is neutral because of its straightforward style, completely ignoring any impression the author has of Harun Rashid or his envoys. Einhard and Stuttering Notek were less detached, using the Abbasids as a microphone to portray Charlemagne's majesty. Emphasizing the power of Harun Rashid, who "ruled almost the whole of the East except India," Einhard said that Harun Rashid preferred Charlemagne to all the kings and princes of the world, believing that only Charlemagne was worthy of his honor and generosity.
Nautke looked down on the Abbasids, and at the Carolingian court, he portrayed Harun Rashid's envoys exploring the unknown. According to Notek: Charlemagne received them very kindly, and gave them the privilege of going wherever they wanted, as if they were his own children, and they jumped for joy, cherishing the privilege of hugging Charlemagne tightly and gazing at him, a privilege worth more than the wealth of the whole East. They explored the Aachen Palace and saw something that made them elated and danced.
Using Harlan Rashid's envoys, Notek directly compares them to children and expresses Charlemagne's brilliance by inspiring awe in them. In contrast to the shouting envoys, Charlemagne was tough and generous, full of monarchical demeanor. In both texts, the author uses these diplomatic missions and such powerful political entities to demonstrate Charlemagne's prestige. An anonymous Saxon poet followed suit, describing the elephant as a spectacle of the Frankish kingdom.
As for Charlemagne's motivation for contacting Harlan Rashid, Einhard made it clear that it was Charlemagne's own idea: he wanted an elephant. Harun gave him the only elephant he had. The Miracle of St. Genecisus records that Count Gebhard of Treviso sent monks to Jerusalem in search of the saint's relics when they met Frankish envoys who were looking for an elephant for Charlemagne.
This historical record is consistent with Einhard's mention that the arrival of elephants was the result of the desire of the Frankish monarchs. We need to think hard about why Charlemagne sent an envoy to ask a ruler with whom he had never contacted before to ask for the confidence of an elephant, and why Harun Rashid agreed to give the elephant to Charlemagne. Charlemagne contacted Harun Rashid who wanted an elephant, and Abu Abbas suddenly became very important. He is not a colourful afterthought, but a central part of our thinking about the relationship between the Carolingians and the Abbasids.
In the case of Charlemagne and Jerusalem, Einhard and Stammering Notek, as well as the anonymous Saxon poet, claim that Harun Rashid's gift included some kind of dominion over Jerusalem. Some scholars have questioned why the Frankish Chronicles of the Royal Family ignores such an achievement and does not mention Charlemagne's request in Jerusalem. The Chronicle of the Royal Franks, although it does not deal with this specific concession, does account of the Patriarch of Jerusalem giving Charlemagne the keys and banner of the Holy Sepulchre. There is no evidence that the interaction between Charlemagne and Harun Rashid established Charlemagne's authority over Jerusalem.
Charlemagne did have an interest in the Holy Land of Jerusalem, and in 810 Charlemagne and his advisers had a record of a discussion at a council that "alms must be sent to Jerusalem for the restoration of the Church of God." The Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII praised Charlemagne in his Empire Administration for "sending great sums of money and rich treasures to Palestine and building large monasteries". This shows that people outside Palestine and the Franconian world are aware of these efforts. The right to rule in Jerusalem was already circulating, but the value of the right to rule in Jerusalem was even greater based on modern political interests.
The descriptions of elephant gifts in the four historical sources have different narrative styles, but they express the same results, and the elephant gift events are of great significance in the history of Carolingian literature. The four authors establish in the text the friendly relationship between the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid and Charlemagne, who is portrayed as a desirable ruler whose majesty transcends the borders of Europe. The gift of the elephant was given not by the post-Umayyad dynasty in the Iliban Peninsula or by the Byzantine Empire in southeastern Europe, but by the Abbasids from as far away as Western Asia. Charlemagne's biographers and chroniclers express Charlemagne's brilliance through texts that even Harlan Rashid, who is far away, can perceive and want to be his ally.