FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2023-160 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (October 9, 2023) –Today’s edition of Fun with Maps celebrates the crowning of a king in the late eighth century.

Charles the Great

Charlemagne was crowned King of the Franks on October 9, 768.

He shared the kingdom with his brother Carloman, but upon his brother’s death became sole king of the Franks.

He sought to unite other European areas and also to expand the domain of Christianity.

On Christmas Day 800 AD, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne “Emperor of the Romans,” thus making him the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.

Although he had numerous power bases, Charlemagne is most associated with the town of Aachen where he was buried and his skull is on display at the cathedral.  His sword, which won many battles in the fight to convert Europe to Christianity, was used in the coronation of French kings from the mid-thirteenth century onward.  It is on display in the Louvre.

This 1642 map by Blaeu shows the border region among today’s Germany, Netherlands and Belgium.  Aachen is in Germany. 

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.