Two Lives of Charlemagne

Two revealingly different accounts of the life of the most important figure of the Roman Empire

Charlemage —known as the father of Europe—was one of the most powerful and dynamic of all medieval rulers. The biographies brought together here provide a rich and varied portrait of the king from two perspectives: that of Einhard, a close friend and adviser, and of Notker, a monastic scholar and musician writing fifty years after Charlemagne's death.

Einhard was born of noble parents in the Main valley around 770 AD and was sent in the 790s to the court of Charlemagne.

Notker Babbulus (The Stammerer) was born near the monastery of St. Gall, in Switzerland, around 840. He wrote his account of Charlemagne for Emperor Charles the Fat between 884 and 887.

David Ganz is a professor of paleography at Kings College, London.