King of The Franks
© 2015 by Brayden Courtney
The family (above)
The family tree above shows the Carolingian dynasty; Charlemagne was part of this family of Frankish aristocrats who ruled Western Europe. The name of the dynasty was derived from the large number of family members who bore the name Charles, especially Charlemagne.
Early life
Charlemagne was born around 742 CE, and was the son of the late Bertruda of Laon, and the also deceased Pepin the Short, Bertruda of Laon's exact death time was unknown but was between 710 and 727. Pepin the Short died in 768 CE. Not much was known about Charlemagne's early childhood, and still many facts are obscured, although he did get a quality education, as he could speak speak Latin and understand Greek among other languages.
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After Pepins death in 768, the Frank kingdom was split between Charlemagne and his brother Carloman, They did not have a good relationship as Charlemagne had a bigger and wealthier area of land than Carloman. So under these conditions their relationship did not fare well. But unexpectedly Carloman died in 771 making Charlemagne the complete ruler of the Franks.