The Life of Charlemagne

The following summary of his life is from the book 5,000 Years of ROYALTY: Kings, Queens, Princes, Emperors & Tsars, by Thomas J. Craughwell (2012, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, 512 pages). The summary on Charlemagne is from page 140.

Charlemagne’s dream was to unite the warring tribes and nations of western Europe into a cohesive empire, the first in the west since the fall of Rome. By and large, he succeeded—at his death, Charlemagne ruled a realm that extended from the Vistula to the Atlantic, from the Baltic Sea to the Pyrenees. In recognition of his achievement, and in appreciation for his loyal service in defense of the interests of the Catholic Church, on Christmas Day 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans. Later, the title became Holy Roman Emperor.

Charlemagne was an impressive figure, standing six feet three inches tall. He was powerfully built, although toward the end of his life he developed a potbelly. His hair was such a light shade of blonde that it appeared white.

Because he never learned to read, Charlemagne had great respect for education. He invited the best teachers and scholars to settle at his court; among those who accepted were Alcuin from England, Theodulf from Spain, and Paul the Deacon and Paulinus II of Aquileia from Italy. Charlemagne opened a school at his court and founded new schools in monasteries throughout his realm. He also established scriptoria where monks copied the Greek and Roman classics. He was so lavish in his support of writers, artists, and architects that he set off a cultural golden age that has come to be known as the Carolingian Renaissance.

Charlemagne enjoyed stunning military successes: the Saxons and the Bavarians submitted to his authority; he drove back the Slavs and the Avars (a pagan tribe in present-day Hungary); he occupied Corsica, Sardinia, and the Balearic Islands, all of which had suffered frequent attacks from Muslim pirates; and he tried to extend his power into Spain. It was during a skirmish at the Roncevaux Pass in the Pyrenees that a member of his household, Roland, was killed; the event inspired one of the great poems of the Middle Ages, “The Song of Roland”.

After a forty-six-year reign, Charlemagne died peacefully in his palace at Aachen. During the Middle Ages, it was said that he was buried seated on a throne wearing a crown and holding a scepter. The story is impossible to prove because in 1165 Emperor Frederick I opened the tomb and laid Charlemagne in a gold and silver casket.

Since the 1990’s I have done a lot of research on families who supposedly trace back to European Royalty. The number 1 problem I see is that people try so hard to connect to famous people and then they “bend the facts” enough to connect one person to a famous family that happens to have the same last name. But so often the connection just isn’t there.

Therefore it makes connecting these families somewhat difficult as there are so many errors on the Internet now (2025). In at attempt to minimize these errors, I research the families from many different sources and look for holes in the “evidence”. I find them all the time. I don’t doubt that I also miss some along the way too. When I do find errors in lineages that I’ve latched onto, I work really hard to correct my files and post those mistakes online so they are not perpetuated.

Why do I bother to trace royal lineages then? Well, because there ARE factual records out there on these families and eventually you CAN tie into them. I don’t care whether my ancestors were peasants or kings, I know for a fact that I descend from many of both. We all do. I’m simply looking for what I can find and document. Period.

Charlemagne is one of those individuals in history that millions of us truly descend from. It’s just a fact. The question is, how many ways do we descend from him, and can we show the trail? The lineage? And, how many of his children do we descend from?

The best consensus I can find shows that Charles the Great – aka Charlemagne – had at least 20 children by at least 11 different women – and probably more – of both. He was known to be married at least five times, and had children by at least six concubines, and probably more.

His most famous wife was his third wife, Hildegard of Swabia, Queen of the Franks. She was born ca. 757-8 AD and died on 30 April 783 AD. Charlemagne had at least nine (9) children with Hildegard. He probably only had grandchildren through three of those nine children, they being 1) Carloman (Pepin I) (King of the Lombards and King of Italy) Carolingian, 2) Louis I (The Pious and The Fair and The Debonaire) (King of Aquitaine and King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor) Carolingian, and 3) Bertha (Frankish Princess) Carolingian.

I know that I descend from the first two, King Pepin of Italy and Emperor Louis I (the Pious).

The other child of Charlemagne that many people, myself included, descend from was his son, Hugh (or Hugo) (Abbot of Saint-Quentin Lobbes and Saint-Bertin) (Archchancellor of the Empire) Carolingian. Hugh was Charlemagne’s son by a concubine, Regina. One of Hugh’s many royal descendants was Mathilda of Flanders, born 1031 in Normandy. She became the wife of William the Conqueror in 1053.

The following map shows the Holy Roman Empire in 800 AD at the time Charlemagne was crowned Emperor. This map will help with identifying locations in Europe that are listed as locations for key events in the lives of Charlemagne’s family, shown after the map.

Following are more details regarding the ancestors of Charlemagne and then his women and children.

Parents and Ancestors

Charlemagne was born on April 2. Some say he was born in 742, but other historians state that it’s more like 748 AD. I show in my files that he was born on 02 Apr 748 AD at Aachen, Rhineland, Prussia. See previous map for Aachen (northern Europe). Charlemagne’s father was Pepin III (the Short) (Mayor of the Palace of Neustria – the Merovingian Palace) (King of the Franks) Carolingian. Pepin the Short is how he is commonly known, and being the Mayor of the Palace was basically being the Prime Minister. Pepin’s wife was Bertrada (Bertha Bigfoot aka Broadfoot) (Queen of the Franks) of Laon, daughter of Charibert (aka Caribert or Heribert) Count of Laon, and Blanche Fleur Princess of Austrasia.

“Bertha Bigfoot” was descended from many generations of Kings of Austrasia – again, see above map. Pepin the Short’s father was the famous Karl (Charles Martel aka Charles the Hammer) (Mayor of the Palaces of Austrasia, Neustria & Burgundy) Prince of Austrasia. Attached to this link is a multipage PDF file showing 13 generations of ancestors of Charlemagne.

Wives and Concubines of Charlemagne

Wives and Children

• Himiltrude, born Abt. 742 AD and died Bet. 780 AD–782 AD. Married 768 AD, but was dismissed from family in 770 AD after having one child (Pepin The Hunchback).
  • Pepin (The Hunchback) (Frankish Prince) Carolingian, born Bet. 769 AD–770 AD France, died Bet. 810 AD–811 AD Prum, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. No marriage, no issue. He was exiled and ostracized from the family.
• Desiderata (Queen consort of the Franks) of Lombards, born Abt. 754 AD Pavia, Italy and died Abt. 776 AD. Married in 770 AD but was no longer married after 771 AD – no children born to this marriage.
• Hildegard (Queen of the Franks) of Swabia, born Bet. 757 AD–758 AD at Aachen, Rhineland, Prussia and died 30 Apr 783 AD at Thionville, Moselle, France. Married in 771 AD at Aachen, Rhineland, Prussia. Had 9 children, 3 of whom died as young children. Hildegard was the daughter of Gerold I (Count of Kraichgau and Anglachgau) Duke of Swabia, and Emma (Duchess of Swabia) of Alemannia.
  • Charles (The Younger) (Duke of Maine, King of Franconia) Carolingian, born Abt. 772 AD and died 04 Dec 811 AD. No marriage or issue.
  • Adalhaid (Frankish Princess) Carolingian, born and died 774 AD.
  • Rotrude (aka Hruodrud or Hruodhaid) (Frankish Princess) Carolingian, born 775 AD and died 06 Jun 810 AD.
  • Carloman (Pepin I) (King of the Lombards and King of Italy) Carolingian, born 777 AD Aachen, Rhineland, Prussia and died 08 Jul 810 AD Milan, Italy. Known as Pepin of Italy or Pepin, King of Italy. He was born Carloman, but after his older half brother Pepin the Hunchback fell out of grace, Carloman was rebranded as Pepin in order to become the heir. Pepin of Italy married Bertha (Theodrada) of Toulouse. Many of us descend from Pepin of Italy and Bertha through their oldest son, Bernard (King of Italy) Carolingian.
    • Lineages who descend from Charlemagne through Pepin of Italy:
      • Frank Patterson
      • Vanza Davis Patterson
      • Charles Fishburne
      • Virginia Holton Fishburne
      • Anna Middleton Fishburne
      • Jessica Baumann Patterson
      • Jack Palmer
      • Joyce Ward Palmer
  • Louis I (The Pious and The Fair and The Debonaire) (King of Aquitaine and King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor) Carolingian, born 16 Apr 778 AD Casseneuil, France and died 20 Jun 840 AD Ingelheim am Rhein, Mainz-Bingen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Known as Louis I or Louis the Pious or Louis the Fair, primarily. Louis the Pious had at least 10 children, 2 by concubines. He was married twice. First wife Ermengarde of Hasbaye gave birth to 6 more of his children, and second wife Judith of Bavaria gave birth to the remaining 2 children. Many of us descend from two of Louis the Pious’ children by Ermengarde (Lothair I and Louis II), and also by one child by Judith (Charles II the Bald).
    • Lineages who descend from Charlemagne through Louis the Pious:
      • Frank Patterson
      • Vanza Davis Patterson
      • Anna Middleton Fishburne
      • Joyce Ward Palmer
  • Lothair Carolingian, born 16 Apr 778 AD Casseneuil, France and died 780 AD France.
  • Bertha (Frankish Princess) Carolingian, born 780 AD and died Aft. 11 Mar 824 AD. She married Angilibert Count of Ponthieu and had at least four children.
  • Gisela (aka Delia) (Frankish Princess) Carolingian, born 781 AD and died Bet. 808 AD–814 AD.
  • Hildegard (Frankish Princess) Carolingian, born Apr 783 AD Thionville, Moselle, France and died Jun 783 AD at the age of 2 months. Her mother, Hildegard, died a couple weeks after she was born on April 30 783.
• Fastrada (Queen consort of the Franks) of East Francia, born Abt. 765 AD at Ingelheim am Rhein, Mainz-Bingen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany and died 10 Aug 794 AD at Frankfurt, Germany. Married Oct 783 AD at Worms, Germany. She had 2 children. She was the daughter of Rudolph Count of East Francia, and Aeda.
  • Theodrada (Frankish Princess) (Abbess of Notre-Dame at Argenteuil) Carolingian, born 784 AD France and died Bet. 844 AD–853 AD. She was a nun. No marriage or issue.
  • Hiltrude (Frankish Princess) Carolingian, born 787 AD France. No known issue.
• Luitgard of Alemanni, born Abt. 776 AD and died 04 Jun 800 AD. She is buried at the monastery of Saint-Martin de Tours, Indre et Loire, France. She married Charlemagne in 794 AD. No known children born to this marriage.

Concubines and Children

• Gersuinda (aka Gersvinda, Gervinda) Concubine of Charlemagne, died Bet. 800 AD–810 AD. She was the mother of Adaltrude.
  • Adaltrude (Frankish Princess) Carolingian, born after 800 AD France.
• Madelgard Concubine of Charlemagne. She was the mother of Ruothild.
  • Ruothild (Frankish Princess) (Abbess of Faremoutiers) Carolingian, born after 800 AD France and died 24 Mar 852 AD at the Faremoutiers Abbey, Seine-et-Marne, France. She was a nun. No issue.
• Regina Concubine of Charlemagne, born 770 AD. She was the mother of both Drogo (aka Dreux or Drogon) (Bishop of Metz), and Hugh (or Hugo) (Abbot of Saint-Quentin Lobbes and Saint-Bertin) (Archchancellor of the Empire).
  • Drogo (aka Dreux or Drogon) (Bishop of Metz) Carolingian, born 17 Jun 801 AD Aachen, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and died 08 Dec 855 AD (fishing accident) River Oignon, at Himeriacum, Bourgogne, Germany.
  • Hugh (or Hugo) (Abbot of Saint-Quentin Lobbes and Saint-Bertin) (Archchancellor of the Empire) Carolingian, born Abt. 802 AD Aachen, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and died 14 Jun 844 AD when Killed by a lance while being ambushed by Pippin II (the grandson of Hugh’s half-brother Louis the Pious) in the Angoumois, Angouleme, France. Many of us descend from Hugh through his daughter, Petronia Countess of Anjou, who was born in 825 AD and married Tertulle Count of Anjou. 6 generations from Petronia led to Adele of France (1012-1067) who married Baldwin V Count of Flanders. Many of us descend from two of their children, 1) Baldwin VI (De Mons) Count of Flanders and 2) Mathilda of Flanders.
    • The Staffords and Nevilles descend from Baldwin VI.
    • Mathilda of Flanders married William the Conqueror, King of England. Many kings of England descend from this couple, in addition to princes, such as John of Gaunt, father of Joan Beaufort who married Sir Ralph Neville.
    • Lineages who descend from Charlemagne through Hugh:
      • Frank Patterson
      • Vanza Davis Patterson
      • Charles Fishburne
      • Virginia Holton Fishburne
      • Anna Middleton Fishburne
      • Jessica Baumann Patterson
      • Jack Palmer
      • Joyce Ward Palmer
• Adallind (aka Etherlind) Concubine of Charlemagne. She was the mother of Theodoric (aka Thierry).
  • Theodoric (aka Thierry) Carolingian, born 807 AD and died after 818 AD. No known issue.
• Other concubines produced at least three more of Charlemagne’s children. 1) Hruodhaid was born 784 AD, and 2) Richbod was born 805 AD, and 3) Bernard was born 806-810 AD.
  • Hruodhaid Carolingian, born 784 AD
  • Richbod (Abbot of Saint-Riquier) Carolingian, born 805 AD and died 844 AD
  • Bernard (Abbot of Moutiers-Saint-Jean Abbey) Carolingian, born Bet. 806 AD–810 AD and died Aft. 830 AD.

The following lineages to Charlemagne show only the shortest lineage – or most interesting lineage. In most cases, there are multiple lineages that could be shown for each current family member.