Charlemagne (born April 2, 747?—died January 28, 814, Aachen, Austrasia [now in Germany]) king of the Franks (768–814), king of the Lombards (774–814), and first emperor (800–814) of the Romans and of what was later called the Holy Roman Empire.
Around the time believed to be the birth of Charlemagne, estimated around 742 but possibly in 747 or 748, his father Pippin III (also known as Pippin the Short) held the position of mayor of the palace. This role granted him significant power within the Merovingian kingdom, despite officially serving under the Merovingian king.
Charlemagne’s upbringing suggests he received practical training for leadership by actively participating in the political, social, and military affairs at his father’s court. His early years were marked by pivotal events that greatly influenced the Frankish kingdom’s standing in the contemporary world.
In 751, Pippin III seized the Frankish throne from the last Merovingian king, Childeric III, with the approval of the papacy. A significant turning point came when Pippin met with Pope Stephen II at the royal palace of Ponthion in 753–754. During this meeting, an alliance was formed between Pippin and the pope, with Pippin pledging to defend Rome in exchange for papal recognition of his dynasty’s right to rule the Frankish kingdom.
Pippin further solidified his commitment to protecting Rome by intervening militarily in Italy in 755 and 756, specifically to counter Lombard threats against the city. The culmination of his support for the papacy came in the “Donation of Pippin” in 756. This act involved granting the papacy a significant swath of territory in central Italy, which laid the foundation for the establishment of the Papal States, a political entity over which the pope held sway.