Three Lives of Charlemagne

No secular figure in history, after Constantine and Theodosius, did so much to form the nature of what became Christendom as did Charles the Great. Charles the Great, or Charlemagne, built a powerful empire from the shards that remained of the West; defended and supported the Catholic Faith throughout his realms; supported education of all classes; fought back the Muslims in Spain, the pagans in the east, the piratical Vikings in the north; and in most things set a splendid example for a strong, faithful leader of a Christian state. Never using “personal support” as a mask for following the world, Charlemagne rather \emph{led} the world in the direction that it ought to go. The reign of Christ the King was richer for his participation in it.

Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!