``Charlemagne was by far the most able and noble-spirited of all those who ruled over the nations at his time'' (Einhard 63). This bold statement by one of Charlemagne's two main biographers sets the tone for the works that together comprise the Two Lives of Charlemagne. In their texts Einhard and Notker both paint pictures of a glorious Charlemagne, calling him the ``unconquered and unconquerable'' (Notker 158). They exalt his abilities in battle, but more than that they exalt his ability to lead and inspire his people. Einhard and Notker present us with five characteristics that made Charlemagne a great leader: his energy and persistence, his practicality, his personality, and his compassion.
Given a kingdom which had been recently engaged in war on several different fronts, Charlemagne pursued these wars with the energy and persistence needed to see them through to completion. The wars against Aquitaine and against the Longobards were both wars started by Charlemagne's father, Pepin the Short. Though both wars had reached a conclusion, neither had been suitably decided. Charlemagne started both of them anew and ``pressed on energetically,'' even in the face of hardship (59). About the war with the Longobards, Einhard says that,
Although the reason for his undertaking the war was similar to that which had inspired his father, and indeed identical, it is clear that Charlemagne fought it with much more energy and brought it to a different conclusion (60).Charlemagne was able to be successful where his predecessors had failed because he pressed on until the task was fully completed. Whereas Pepin's siege of the Longobards lasted only a few days and resulted in little more than promises, Charlemagne ``did not stop until he had worn Desiderius down by a long siege and had received his surrender'' (60). Einhard says that Charlemagne refused ``to withdraw from a campaign already started or to abandon a task once undertaken'' (59). At the same time, though, Charlemagne was not too proud to recognize when the odds were not in his favor. Of a fight against the Huns, Notker writes that Charlemagne ``decided to abandon his plans, preferring not to disobey scripture by 'trying to move against the current in the stream''' (157). Charlemagne's withdrawal shows his valuation of his men over appearance.
This devaluation of appearance extended much farther than the pursuit of victory in battle. One of the first anecdotes written by Notker details how Charlemagne placed value in the quality of a person's work over birth rank. According to Notker, Charlemagne left a ``great number of boys chosen not only from the noblest families but also from middle-class and poor homes'' in the care of a wise man (94). When Charlemagne returned to appraise the boys' work, he found the work of those from the lower classes to be of much higher quality than the work of those from noble homes. Charlemagne praised the boys whose work was excellent, telling them, ``Continue to study hard and to strive for perfection; and I will give you bishoprics and fine monasteries, and you will always be honoured in my sight.'' The sons of the nobles, however, Charlemagne admonished, telling them,
By the King of Heaven, I think nothing of your nobility and your fine looks! Others can admire you for these things if they wish! Know this for certain, unless you immediately make up for your previous idleness by diligent study, you will never receive anything worth having from Charlemagne (95-96)!Charlemagne also valued practicality in his appearance. Another of Notker's anecdotes tells of a hunting excursion taken by Charlemagne and his men. While his men dressed in their finery, Charlemagne wore only a simple sheepskin. When the weather turned bad Charlemagne's skin was unharmed, while the expensive clothing of his men was ruined. The next day Charlemagne brought them before him and asked them,
Which of these skins is the more valuable and the more useful, this of mine which cost a single piece of gold, or those of yours which you bought for pounds and pounds, or maybe even for hundreds and hundreds of pounds (166)?Throughout the two works we find instances such as these where Charlemagne cared little for money or expensive things.
Charlemagne's most overwhelming characteristic may well have been his personality. Einhard describes Charlemagne as having a ``mettlesome spirit'' and ``imperturbability, which remained as constant in adversity as in prosperity'' (62). He says that Charlemagne ``so won the love and favour of all his fellow human beings, both at home and abroad, that noone ever levelled against him the slightest charge of cruelty or injustice'' (76). Charlemagne's magnificent personality helped him greatly with his diplomacy. He always welcomed visitors, no matter what the cost it placed on his empire. According to Einhard, ``he considered that his reputation for hospitality and the advantage of the good name which he acquired more than compensated for the great nuisance of their being there'' (76). Charlemagne made a point of becoming friendly with the kings around him. Notker says that even in the midst of war, ``the magnanimous Emperor did not interrupt his habit of sending frequent messengers to carry letters and gifts to the kings of far distant regions'' (138). The declaration of Charlemagne as Emperor by the Pope greatly upset the ``so-called Roman Emperors,'' and yet Charlemagne ``overcame their hostility only by the sheer strength of his personality, which was much more powerful than theirs'' (81).
Magnanimity applied not only to Charlemagne's treatment of kingdoms, but also to their people. When faced with a cowardly ruler who refused to appear before him in person, Charlemagne ignored his pride and accepted the condition, deciding that ``it was more important to consider the interests of the people than to worry about their Duke's obstinacy'' (65). Charlemagne did not hold to tradition or ceremony if it would be at the expense of his people. Einhard tells the story of a bishop who was visiting Charlemagne and criticized him for beginning his meal early on Lent. Charlemagne illustrated for the bishop how he ate early not for his own benefit, but so others would not have to wait so long before they could eat. Afterward he turned to the bishop and said, ``It seems to me, my dear bishop, that you must have realized by now that it is not greed which makes me eat before nightfall on Lent, but consideration for others'' (105). When Charlemagne saw need among his people, he was quick to bring assistance. Einhard says that he was ``most active in relieving the poor'' (80). Notker tells how the King of Africa sent Charlemagne envoys with many gifts though his people had very little wealth. Charlemagne saw these gifts, and was generous with the African people in return.
Charlemagne, who was the most liberal of monarchs, knew that the King of Africa and all his Libyan subjects were constantly oppressed by poverty. At this time, and, indeed, throughout his life, he subsidized them from the riches of Europe, and sent them vast quantities of corn, wine, and oil (147).Charlemagne loved his people, and rued the fact that he would not be able to provide for them forever. After thwarting a pirate attack on his coast, Charlemagne stood at the window and wept. He explained that he wept because, ``I am sick at heart to think that even in my lifetime they have dared to attack this coast, and I am horror-stricken when I foresee what evil they will do to my descendants and their subjects'' (159).
There are many reasons why Charlemagne went into the annals of history as a magnificent ruler. His military record was impeccable; his expansion of the empire was among the greatest. Yet, in the works presented by Einhard and Notker, it is the characteristics of Charlemagne's leadership that again and again shine through the pages. Both authors paint Charlemagne as man a man of great accomplishments, but about that they simply present him as a great man. Charlemagne's feats may have inspired awe in his foes, but it was his leadership that inspired his people.