Accomplishments of Charlemagne Free Essay Example, 750 words

Accomplishments of Charlemagne Accomplishments of Charlemagne Ladies and gentlemen today as I lay on this bed, I want to thank each and every one of us for the great and indelible contributions you have had in my life. I can’t imagine the world and may life without you. During my time with you, I have had an opportunity to interact and share a lot with most of you. I have also had an opportunity to serve you under various categories. As I bid you goodbye, I want to take this opportunity to reflect back on some of the major contributions that I have been able to achieve. Political Accomplishments Having served as an emperor during this medieval period has given me an opportunity to transform many lives and the nature of our lives. I believe that as I leave you soon, my political achievements will still remain and form major parts of the governments and other leaders to come. Precisely, my greatest political achievement is in 775, when I invaded, attacked and defeated the Germanic tribe Saxon who threatened the north-eastern frontiers of my newly formed Kingdom. We will write a custom essay sample on Accomplishments of Charlemagne or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now During the same year, I also remember vividly that the Duke of Hrodgaud of Friuli rebelled against my rule but I defeated by him. These culminations gave me an opportunity with the Duke of Spoleto. We signed a treaty with him and this gave me the full power over Northern Italy which has ensured the peace that we enjoy today. To me, this is a very big accomplishment because as I go, I leave the many descendants of this great in a safe place to call home (Story, 2005). Art/Architecture Accomplishments As all of you know, my love for art is very great. I will not leave without saying a word how I still feel and think of art. I know for those of you who have had an opportunity to look at my different kinds of work can speak for themselves. There is this building that will forever remain in my heart. The construction of the Paltin Chapel in Aache during this Carolingian Renaissance has proved greater levels of arts and architecture to me. This, to those who do not know, was my spiritual center and a sacred place where German rulers would be crowned. To me, its construction has proved that we have the best artist and architects with very great knowledge of the Construction industry. As I say goodbye, this building will still remain with you for years. But, I have one request, that let it be used specifically for the purpose it was built for and I requests the current generation to pass the great cultural ties with this building to the generations to come (Collins, 1998). Religion, philosophy or intellectual life Accomplishments I cannot talk of my achievements without talking about my religion or philosophical accomplishments. I don’t want you to join the dots for me while still alive. I know many of you if given a chance to talk about my religious contributions can do so for more than one hour. Let me save you that energy. For now, I will only talk of a few accomplishments that I feel have had great impacts and yielded a lot of results to our people. My greatest religious accomplishment was in 809-810, when I consulted the Church Council who agreed unanimously to include the belief that Holy Spirit Proceeds from the Father and the Son in Nicene Creed. Although it met a lot of opposition from Pope Leo, I believe that it has helped to increase the spirituality of our people. I cannot also forget of talking about the policies and laws which I have put in place to strengthen the power structure of the church. With these laws, there are improved moral standards, faith and the overall skills of our clerg y. We have also managed to create good working relationship of the state and the church which is very important for coexistence (Bhote, 2004). Confession to Make I know during my lifetime, I have not been good to all of us. To those who think that I have wronged them, please let history judge me harshly. Today, I want to take this opportunity to confess and ask for forgiveness for sanctioning the killing of pagan priests who were against my rule. Ladies and gentlemen, you remember that in the year 782 during the Saxon uprising, I enforced strict code of laws that extended to banning of pagan practices. During this time, I watched as pagan priests were tortured and brutally killed. I truly want to ask for your forgiveness on their behalf and my their souls rest in eternal peace (Story, 2005) I thank all of you for listening and giving me an opportunity to address you at this point which I consider very crucial in my life. For now may the Lord Almighty be with you till we meet again. Thank you once more for also giving me an opportunity to serve you under various capacities. References Bhote, T. (2004). Charlemagne: The life and times of an early Medieval emperor. New York, NY: Rosen Pub. Group Collins, R. (1998). Charlemagne. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Story, J. (2005). Charlemagne: Empire and society. Manchester; New York, N.Y: Manchester University Press