Einhard (–840)

This small volume,written in the 9th century by a member of Charlemagne's court, provides a glimpse of the leader's life. While it lacks the sophistication of modern biographies, its importance lies in revealing how his inner circle viewed him. I found the map of "Europe According to Einhard" fascinating.

This small volume contains two biographies of Charlemagne, one by a man who knew him, the other written within 100 years of his death. The translated biographies are interesting for their style, attitudes and anecdotes. The commentary points out when the biographies make factual errors or omissions and the sources of some of the references to sources like the Bible or the Aeneid. The personalities of both writers and of the translator come through, which I sometimes found amusing and show more sometimes found annoying. show less

Sure, I could have googled and learned the 'facts' about Charlemagne in about 5 minutes; but then I wouldn't have found the pleasure in reading about greedy monks or stupid nobles being embarrassed in front of the court, ha ha; nor would I have learned how Charlemagne chastized his soldiers for wearing wimpy Gallic cloaks in favor of the superior Frankish sort ("What is the use of these little napkins?.... When I go off to empty my bowels, I catch cold because my backside is frozen!"). Did show more you know that Charlemagne had a pet elephant named Abu-l-Abbas, received as a gift from the king of Persia?

Read the rest of my review of Two Lives of Charlemagne on my blog, The Nerd is the Word.

http://nerdword.blogspot.com/2006/07/26-two-lives-of-charlemagne.html show less

This is a short but intimate biography of King Charles the Great also known as Charlemagne. Einhard served as minister of public works under Charlemagne, as favored position, as well has having responsibility over many of Charlemagne's abbeys. After Charlemagne's death, Einhard was commissioned by Charlemagne's son, Louis the Pious, to write this biography of his father.

Because of this, I questioned some of the accuracy or at least bias of this account. Here is what I found on Wikipedia. show more "Most biographies of the Middle Ages related only good deeds of their subject, with many embellishments to improve their subject. Einhard's biography, however, is considered, for the most part, to be a trustworthy account of Charlemagne's life. It is considered an excellent account of earlier Medieval life. Despite Einhard's limitations, since it was his first attempt at a major writing, the British historian Thomas Hodgkin said, "almost all our real, vivifying knowledge of Charles the Great is derived from Einhard, and that the Vita Karoli Magni is one of the most precious literary bequests of the early Middle Ages." show less