This Guy Sucked Charlemagne with Matthew Gabriele
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Apr 3, 2025 In this engaging discussion, Dr. Matthew Gabriele, a medieval studies expert from Virginia Tech, delves into the complexities of Charlemagne’s legacy. He explores Charlemagne’s identity as a ruler, his violent expansion through the Saxon campaigns, and the implications of his self-styled Roman Emperor status. Gabriele also examines how Charlemagne has been reinterpreted throughout history, from hero to symbol of modern political myths, revealing the contradictions in contemporary nostalgia for the past.
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Charlemagne's Empire And Reach
- Charlemagne (Carolus Magnus) built a vast ninth-century empire across much of Western Europe through conquest and centralized rule.
- His reign combined military expansion, religious policy, and administrative reforms centered on Aachen and alliance with the papacy.
Empire Built On Violence
- Matthew Gabriele's main critique is that Charlemagne was an agent and creator of empire who unleashed horrific violence for dynastic benefit.
- That violence and its human cost are often erased by later nationalistic and celebratory narratives.
Forced Christianization Of Saxony
- The Christianization of Saxony exemplifies Charlemagne's brutality: mass killings, forced baptisms, relocations, and social reengineering followed conquest.
- Contemporary Frankish sources praise these acts while silencing Saxon suffering and resistance.
