Charlemagne in Italy: The Frankish King Who Crowned an Empire

After the Lombard invasion and the Byzantine exarchate's collapse, Italy fragmented. The pope, threatened by the Lombards, turned north to a rising power: the Franks. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Charlemagne's dramatic entry into Italian politics. They discuss the 774 Siege of Pavia, where Charlemagne deposed King Desiderius and declared himself King of the Lombards. They examine the Donation of Pepin, which established the Papal States, and the forging of a new alliance between the papacy and the Frankish kingdom. The conversation covers the creation of the Carolingian Empire, the coronation of Charlemagne as Emperor in 800 AD by Pope Leo III—a turning point that revived the title of Roman Emperor in the West. They also consider the administrative reforms Charlemagne introduced: the counts, missi dominici, and the use of written capitularies. Finally, they touch on the cultural revival known as the Carolingian Renaissance, which preserved classical texts and set the stage for medieval learning. This episode reveals how a Frankish king reshaped Italy and the entire trajectory of European history. #Charlemagne #Lombards #Pavia #PapalStates #DonationOfPepin #CarolingianEmpire #PopeLeoIII #HolyRomanEmpire #SiegeOfPavia #Desiderius #MissiDominici #CarolingianRenaissance #Capitularies #MedievalItaly #FrankishKingdom #EarlyMiddleAges #History #FexingoHistory #RomanRepublic #Renaissance Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo