Over 12 centuries ago, Charles the Great, Charlemagne, united, by force and diplomacy, those regions that make up today the core of the European Union, and created a state apparatus to govern the area. The empire lasted only a few decades beyond his death, but the institutions and cultural processes he promoted have marked Western Europe until today. He remains Europe’s most successful leader.
“King and Emperor: A New Life of Charlemagne” is not simply a biography: Ms. Nelson simultaneously presents the evidence from which she reconstructs the man and his times, guiding the reader through the complexities of medieval source criticism, offering lessons on how to read Carolingian poetry and showing her hand at every crucial moment of judgment. Doing history is always more engaging than reading history, and by involving the reader in the process, “King and Emperor” takes on the compelling suspense of good detective work as well as good history.
read complete review here @ Wall Street Journal
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