\b0 Born around 742 and the son of Pepin the Short, Charles inherited the Kingdom of the Franks in
768. A series of conquests allowed him to extend his domain toward the East (Bavaria and Saxony) and into Italy (Lombardy), while in Spain he waged war against the Moors. Dreaming of reestablishing the Western Roman Empire, he had himself crowned empero
r in Rome in the year 800. He organized his empire around the support of the bishops and of the 200 counts who represented him in the provinces. His reign brought about a genuine renaissance of the arts and letters but, after his death in 814, disputes b
etween his heirs and external threats from Norsemen and Hungarians led to the breakup of the empire.\par
