Imperial Order of Charlemagne - HREA

The Imperial Order of Charlemagne, Founded In Rome on Christmas Day, 2024. Granted by the Holy Roman Empire Association and Awarded by the Chancellor of the HREA upon Members of the HREA for Services and Contribution to the Legacy, Patrimony and History of the Holy Roman Empire.

Creation and Historical background of the Order

The Imperial Order of Charlemagne was founded in Rome on Christmas Day, 2024, by the Holy Roman Empire Association - Associazioni dei Nobili del Sacro Romano Impero and is Granted to Members of the HREA for Services and Contribution to the Legacy, Patrimony and History of the Holy Roman Empire and in the memory of the First Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, King of the Frank and Lombards.

Charlemagne (2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the First Holy Roman Emperor from 800, holding these titles until his death in 814. He united most of Western and Central Europe, and was the first recognised Emperor to rule from the west after the fall of the Western Roman Empire approximately three centuries earlier. Charlemagne's reign was marked by political and social changes that had lasting influence on Europe throughout the Middle Ages.

A member of the Frankish Carolingian dynasty, Charlemagne was the eldest son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon. With his brother, Carloman I, he became king of the Franks in 768 following Pepin's death and became the sole ruler three years later. Charlemagne continued his father's policy of protecting the Papacy and became its chief defender, removing the Lombards from power in northern Italy in 774. His reign saw a period of expansion that led to the conquests of Bavaria, Saxony, and northern Spain, as well as other campaigns that led Charlemagne to extend his rule over a large part of Europe. Charlemagne spread Christianity to his new conquests (often by force), as seen at the Massacre of Verden against the Saxons. He also sent envoys and initiated diplomatic contact with the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid in the 790s, due to their mutual interest in Iberian affairs.

Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne - 748-814

In 800, Charlemagne was Crowned Emperor in Rome by Pope Leo III, the Title represented the height of his prestige and authority. Charlemagne's position as the First Emperor in the West in over 300 years brought him into conflict with the Eastern Roman Empire in Constantinople. Through his assumption of the Imperial Title, he is considered the First Emperor in the line of Holy Roman Emperors. As King and Emperor, Charlemagne engaged in a number of reforms in administration, law, education, military organisation, and religion, which shaped Europe for centuries. The stability of his reign began a period of cultural activity known as the Carolingian Renaissance.

Charlemagne died in 814 and was buried at Aachen Cathedral in Aachen, his Imperial Capital City. He was succeeded by his only surviving legitimate son, Louis the Pious. After Louis, the Frankish kingdom was divided and eventually coalesced into West and East Francia, which later became France and Germany, respectively. Charlemagne's profound influence on the Middle Ages and influence on the territory he ruled has led him to be called the "Father of Europe" by many historians. He is seen as a founding figure by multiple European states and a number of historical royal houses of Europe trace their lineage back to him. Charlemagne has been the subject of artworks, monuments and literature during and after the medieval period and is venerated by the Catholic Church.

Medallion of the Imperial Order of Charlemagne

Motto of the Order and Feast Day

“Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!” - “Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands”

The feast day of Charlemagne is January 28th, the anniversary of his death in 814. The feast day is celebrated with a high mass in Aachen Cathedral on the last Sunday in January is the day of the order, when new members are accepted into the order.