Charlemagne's Empire: Route Map & Timeline
Charlemagne / Karl der Große: 7 stops from AD 768 to AD 814, from Noyon to Aachen.
Follow Charlemagne's Empire step by step in the interactive map
Route and timeline
| # | Year | Place | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AD 768 | Noyon | Shares the Frankish kingdom with his brother Carloman; after Carloman's death in 771 he rules alone. |
| 2 | AD 772 | Eresburg | Campaigns against the Saxons and destroys their sacred Irminsul; the Saxon wars last over thirty years. |
| 3 | AD 774 | Pavia | Conquers the Lombard kingdom and takes the title King of the Lombards. |
| 4 | AD 778 | Roncesvalles | His rearguard is ambushed by Basques on the way back from Spain; the death of Roland inspires the Song of Roland. |
| 5 | AD 796 | Aachen | Builds his palace and chapel at Aachen and gathers scholars such as Alcuin: the Carolingian Renaissance. |
| 6 | AD 800 | Rome | On Christmas Day Pope Leo III crowns him “Emperor of the Romans” in St Peter's. |
| 7 | AD 814 | Aachen | Dies at Aachen and is buried in the Palatine Chapel. |
Other journeys
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- Caesar's Campaigns · 58 BC — 44 BC
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- Harald Hardrada · 1030 — 1066
- Peter the Great · 1682 — 1725