While Charlemange’s influence in European history is outsize, his modern-day media presence is muted, shall we say. Perhaps one of his more notable appearances is a monthly column in The Economist weekly news magazine. The authors don’t have a byline, instead using pithy words and names that reference the subject of the column. “Banyan” looks at pan-Asian issues, while “Bartleby” is the business correspondent.
The European column is written by “Charlemagne”. A recent story looked at the relationship between Austria and Russia (too neutral, in Charlemagne’s eyes). The reason for the epithet lies in Charles’ long-held title as “the father of Europe”, and of course there is some truth to that. He was the first to see the European continent as a single entity that should be bound together by religion, trade, and law, at least to the extent he was able to conceive of these things. Certainly Rome never looked at the continent to the north of Italy as a distinct domain, with legitimate interests. For the emperors, there was Rome, and there was everything else.
But sometimes the real Charlemagne is worth a mention. The May 4 issue includes a piece in the Culture section that asks, “Might Charlemagne’s capital, long placed in Germany, have actually been in Italy?”
The article refers to claims by promoters from the Italian town of Macerata that their church of San Claudio is actually Charlemagne’s palace chapel. In support of this the local burghers also relate that some medieval texts that refer to Aachen mention details such as “earth tremors”, viticulture, and olive trees, all of which bolster the idea of a Mediterranean base of Carolingian operations. Unfortunately the article is pretty light on sources. All we get are references to uncited “texts in Latin” which isn’t much of a credibility enhancement.
I wouldn’t have thought this would be a question anyone would pose. The references to Aachen (or Aix-la-Chapelle, for the French) in the sources are so numerous it would be difficult to count them. The book Aix-la-Chapelle in the Age of Charlemagne is solely about the city during Charlemagne’s residency (the book is part of “The Centers of Civilization Series”, which is apt, given the Economist’s subtitle).
The Italians make the argument that Aachen is not reachable in the durations the sources (mainly the annals) allow for transit. But I have traced some of Charlemagne’s travels across Europe, and the Roman road network makes his travel times quite achievable. As to the olive trees, my understanding (from the vague hints in the article) is that much of the Italian claim is based on sources well removed from the eighth and ninth centuries. Like the exquisite armor in the image above, a product of a later age.
Not much is known about Aachen in the time of Charlemagne. He built a church, as noted above, and furnished it with materials from Rome. The church is still there, generally unmodified, and remains a fine example of Carolingian architecture.1.Early Medieval Architecture, pp. 71-74. Aachen continues to be a grand tourist destination, and the city’s relationship with Charlemagne is never missed.2.Here’s a nice article from the LA Times about touring the old town. The hot sulphur springs are also always mentioned. And frankly (no pun intended), the springs make the argument for Aachen, in my eyes.
Einhard is effusive in his praise of Charlemagne’s strength, stamina, and physical fortitude, in particular his love of swimming. He goes so far as to say that it was the hot springs at Aachen (which had been used for thousands of years, including the Romans) that led Charles to build his palace near the waters. He loved the springs so much that he “invited not only his sons [probably not including Pippin] into the bath but also his luminaries and friends, and sometimes even his personal followers and his bodyguards, so that on occasion there might be a hundred or more men bathing together.”3.Einhard, Vita, ch. 22, p. 41. Macereta’s “springs” are pallid and paltry compared to the enormous pools of Aachen. There can be no doubt where Charles the Great warmed his bones.