Carolingian Empire · 768-814

Charlemagne: emperor of the West

On Christmas Day 800 the pope crowns a Frankish king emperor in Rome. Students map Charlemagne's wars, visit his capital at Aachen, and judge a ruler who built schools but also forced conquered peoples to convert.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 800
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

On Christmas Day 800 the pope crowns a Frankish king emperor in Rome. Students map Charlemagne's wars, visit his capital at Aachen, and judge a ruler who built schools but also forced conquered peoples to convert.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe the extent of the Carolingian Empire in 800 using the map.
  • Explain why Charlemagne's coronation in Rome in 800 was a turning point.
  • Weigh Charlemagne's work for learning against the violence of his wars against the Saxons.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 800

The empire in 800

Open the map in 800. Zoom out until you see the whole Carolingian Empire. Which present-day countries lie partly inside it?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 814

A map of the time

Turn on Historical Maps and set the year to 814. Compare the scanned map with the borders. Where are the Carolingians, Byzantium and the Caliphate?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 800

Aachen

Zoom in on Aachen, between the Rhine and the Meuse. Why might Charlemagne have built his palace here rather than in Paris or Rome?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Why would the pope crown a Frankish king as emperor when there was already an emperor in Constantinople?
  2. Einhard, who knew Charlemagne, wrote that he tried to learn to write late in life. Why might such a king care so much about schools?
  3. Charlemagne fought the Saxons for over 30 years and forced them to become Christian. How should we judge that?
  4. Charlemagne sent officials called missi dominici around his lands. Why would a ruler need such inspectors?
  5. Both France and Germany claim Charlemagne. Why might two countries share one hero?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Charlemagne. Let the class decide on wars, the Church and schools. Afterwards, compare their choices with his: which decisions held the empire together, and which made enemies?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.