The Death of Charlemagne - January 28, 814

On January 28, 814, Charlemagne the first emperor of Western Europe since Rome's fall died at Aachen. His death marked the beginning of the end for the unified Carolingian Empire, setting in motion the political fragmentation that would eventually create France and Germany. From his Christmas coronation in 800 to the Carolingian Renaissance to the grim mathematics of divided inheritance, Charlemagne's legacy reveals both the extraordinary heights one man can achieve and the limits of individual greatness.