Perhaps the most famous of all French kings was Charlemagne, crowned Emperor of the West in AD800 by Pope Leo III. Charlemagne is the subject of many French legends, particularly the `Chanson de Roland,' a famous French poem written around 1110 typifying the heroic French king.
His empire extended over today's France, Germany, Belgium, northern Spain and half of Italy. It was to Charlemagne that Napoleon looked when he tried to establish a similar empire 1,000 years later. In addition to being an excellent soldier and political leader, Charlemagne was also a great promoter of education and the arts. It was during his reign that a major [L3 204 / reorganization of the church in France] took place and the first [L3 205 / cathedral schools] were opened.
