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Charlemagne was the grandson of Charles Martel and the son of Pippin III. When Pippin died, the kingdom was divided between Charlemagne and his brother Carloman. King Charlemagne proved himself a capable leader from early on. Once his brother died in 771, Charlemagne had sole rule of the government of France and he expanded his territory through conquest.
The key to Charlemagne’s conquests was his exceptional organizational skills. During his reign he sent out more than 50 military expeditions. He rode as commander at the head of at least half of them. He moved his armies over wide reaches of country with unbelievable speed, but every move was planned in advance. Before a campaign he would tell the counts, princes and bishops throughout his realm how many men they should bring, what arms they were to carry, and even what to load in the supply wagons. By 800 Charlemagne was the undisputed ruler of Western Europe (www.wikipedia.org) King Charlemagne was a great administrator and he delegated authority over his conquered provinces to Frankish nobles. At the same time he recognized the diverse ethnic groups he had brought under his dominion and allowed each to retain its own local laws. To ensure justice he had these laws set down in writing and strictly enforced. He had deep sympathy for the peasants and believed that government should be for the benefit of the governed. He took upon his duty to reform the local governor called “counts” who had become oppressive. He tried...
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