The Economist (US), September 18th, 2004
TODAY Charlemagne is seen as the visionary behind "modern" Europe, in everything from political integration to the common currency. As such, the subtitle of this new biography is almost a given. Yet it is misleading. Alessandro Barbero chips away at the emperor's legacy until little more than mediocrity remains.
A conquering leader of a large country is bound to set his stamp upon the history books, no matter his talents. Charlemagne inherited a sizeable kingdom, and the rest he took with brawn, not brains. The Franks, the original band of the Carolingian Empire, were mighty, but boasted no...
HighBeam Research, Free Preview: 'Castles of sand; The Holy Roman emperor.(Charlemagne: Father of a Continent)(Book Review)'... Full Membership required for unlimited access. Free 7-day trial.
Subscribers: HighBeam content is only available to HighBeam subscribers. Click the link above for more information.
