Description
An incisive and absorbing biography of the legendary emperor who bridged ancient and modern Europe and singlehandedly altered the course of Western history.
Charlemagne was an extraordinary figure: an ingenious military strategist, a wise but ruthless leader, a cunning politician, and a devout believer who ensured the survival of Christianity in the West. He also believed himself above the rules of the church, siring bastards across Europe and coldly ordering the execution of 4,500 prisoners. Derek Wilson shows how this complicated, fascinating man married the military might of his army to the spiritual force of the Church in Rome, thereby forging Western Christendom. This is a remarkable portrait of Charlemagne and of the intricate political, religious, and cultural world he dominated.
Author: Derek Wilson
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 06/12/2007
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.63lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.30w x 0.83d
ISBN13: 9780307274809
ISBN10: 0307274802
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Historical
- History | Western Europe | General
- History | Europe | Medieval
About the Author
Derek Wilson graduated from Cambridge in 1961. He spent several years traveling and teaching in Africa before becoming a full-time writer and broadcaster. His bestselling and award-winning books include Rothschild: A Story of Wealth and Power, Hans Holbein: Portrait of an Unknown Man, and Tudor Tapestry: Men, Women and Society in Reformation England. He has also written and presented numerous radio and television programs. Wilson is married and lives in Devon, England.