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King and Emperor: A New Life of Charlemagne by Janet L. Nelson (Paperback, 2020)

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Nelson assembles an astonishingly rich picture from the most unrewarding of texts. Janet Nelson's brilliant insight illuminates a world that is both familiar and strange, and full of resonances between past and present.

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The acclaimed biography of one of the most extraordinary of all European rulers Charles, King of the Franks, is one of the most remarkable figures ever to rule a European super-state. That is why he is so often called 'Charles the Great'- by the French 'Charlemagne', and by the Germans 'Karl der Grosse'. Janet L. Nelson's wonderful new book brings together everything we know about Charlemagne and sifts through the evidence to come as close as we can to understanding the man and his motives. Nelson has an extraordinary knowledge of the sources and much of the book is a sort of detective story, prying into and interpreting fascinating material and often obdurate scraps, from prayerbooks to skeletons, gossip to artwork. Above all, Charles' legacy lies in his deeds and their continuing resonance. His successors - in some ways to the present day - have struggled to interpret, misinterpret, copy or subvert Charlemagne. Nelson gets us as close as we can ever hope to come to the real figure, as understood in his own time.