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as its head. But there are elements
within the city of Rome itself that
wish to see Leo deposed and anoth–
er candidate crowned as Pope in bis
stead.
In the spring of 799, Pope Leo is
accused of misconduct. Adultery,
perjury and simony are among the
charges. He is driven out of Rome
by an insurrection, and is granted
refuge at t he court of Charle–
magne, protector of the Holy See.
Charlemagne reserves judgment,
and has Leo escorted back to
Rome. In November 800, Charle–
magne himself comes to Rome to
invest igate the charges. A bishop's
commission of inquiry into Leo's
conduct is set up. Charle–
magne presides over the
tribunal.
Pope Leo swears on the
Gospels that he is inno–
cent of the crimes alleged
against him. The j udg–
ment of the tribunal is in
his favor. Leo is formally
cleared and reinstated on
December 23.
crowned by God, great and peace–
giving Emperor of the Romans!"
The Pope has crowned Charle–
magne as
imperator R omano–
rum-"Emperor of the Romans"!
Something profound has oc–
curred. The West once more has an
emperor!
Historians will look back on this
as the
central event
of the entire
Middle Ages.
Christian Caesar
The coronation of Charlemagne
marks the restoration of the West–
ern Roman Empire- the first
reviva! of Roman Europe since Jus–
tinian .
t he territory he had inherited from
his father and brother. All France,
nearly all of Germany and Aust r ia,
and all of Italy except the kingdom
of Naples are his!
Under Charlemagne's scepter
W
estero Europe for the first time
in centuries has something ap–
proaching unity. A new Roman
Empíre-a new Europe- has been
born!
In 803, Charlemagne will stamp
on his seal the words
Renovatio
Romani Imperii-"Renewal
of the
Roman Empire."
Papal " Coup"
There is yet another significance to
the events of December
25, A.D. 800.
Charlemagne has re–
ceived the imperial crown
at the hands of the Pope!
The populace see it as
having come from God.
The message is clear to
all: T he imperial crown is
a
papal gift.
The king–
doms of this earth belong
to the bishop of Rome;
they are his to give-and
to take away!
On the same day, emis–
saries from Ha run al–
Rashid, caliph of Bagh–
dad, arrive in Rome with
the keys to the Holy
Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
( Jerusalem líes within the
extensive domains of the
caliph.) The keys are offi–
cially presented to Char–
Iemagne. This act sym–
bolizes the Moslem ca-
Coronation of Charlemagne in Rome
by
Pope Leo 111 in
A.D. 800
is
the central event of the Middle Ages.
This assertion will of–
ten be challenged in fol–
lowing centuries, and will
have tragic consequences
when kings and Popes
wage war against each
other. But it leaves an
indelible impression on
the minds of Europeans.
liph's recognition of Charlemagne
as protector of Christians and
Christian properties.
Central Event
Charlemagne remains in Rome for
the Christmas holidays. On Christ–
mas Day, A.D. 800, the king of the
Franks attends a service in St.
Peter's Basílica on Vatican Hi ll.
The stage is now set for one of
the great scenes of all history.
Charlemagne kneels before the
altar in worship. There is a dramat–
ic hush in the church. As the great
king r ises, Pope Leo, without warn–
ing, suddenly turns around and
places a golden crown on the mon–
arch's head!
I mmediately the assem bled
people cry in un ison: "Long life
and victory to Charles Augustus,
October 1983
Charlemagne is now officially a
successor of the Roman emperors.
The tradition of the Roman Cae–
sars is revived. In Charlemagne,
Western Europe now has a Chris–
tian Caesar- a Roman emperor
born of
German
race!
The act also demonstrates that
the memory of the once-great
Roman Empire still lives as a vital
tradition in the hearts of Euro–
peans.
Historians will view Charle–
magne's coronation as the begin–
ning of what will be known as the
Holy Roman Empire. The political
foundation of the Middle Ages has
been laid!
Charlemagne is ruler of nearly
all the territories that had once
constituted the Western Roman
Empire. He has more than doubled
Charlemagne has been taken
unawares. He is reported to have
grumbled that he would not have
gone to church on that day if
he had known the Pope's inten–
tions.
The Emperor is not unhappy
about being emperor. His misgiv–
ings are over the
manner
of the
coronation. He has
won
his empire
on the battlefield through military
genius; he does not owe it to a
Pope. Yet Leo has made it to
appear so!
Whatever his doubts, Charle–
magne makes no protest. He q uiet–
ly accepts the imperial crown from
Leo.
The Pope has cleverly executed a
"coup." I n the eyes of aJI, the Papa–
cy has been symbolicaJly exalted
above the authority of the secular
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