How Did Charlemagne Protect The Papacy

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Charlemagne’s ascension to the throne as emperor was due to three main reasons however; the need to protect the papacy was one of the most important reasons as to why he became emperor in 800. The vacancy of the Imperial Title allowed Charlemagne to be crowned emperor as nobody else held the title. The need to protect the papacy was also an important reason as to how Charlemagne got the title; without the papacy being endangered, Pope Leo may have never come to Charlemagne for help and therefore might have never offered to crown him emperor. Furthermore, given the fact of all of Charlemagne’s successes and his reputation as a Frankish King it seemed only fitting that he should become emperor.

The vacancy of the Imperial title was an important reason as to why Charlemagne was crowned emperor in 800. According to Richbod, Abbot of Lorsch, the fathers of the synod in Rome, with the reinstated Pope met to ‘nominate’ Charles as emperor because, since a woman ruled in Constantinople… the imperial throne was vacant. As Irene in the Byzantium Empire had ripped out her own son’s eyes in 797 in order to incapacitate him so that he would not be able to rule when he came of age, and the fact that she was a woman meant that the title of
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However, it was his need to protect the papacy that remains the most successful reason as to why he was crowned emperor. This is due to the fact that without Pope Leo’s position being threatened by Paschalis and Campulus, the Pope may not have asked for Charlemagne’s help or pointed out the vacancy of the Imperial title. Without this prompt, Charles may never have thought of becoming emperor something, which would have stunted the growth in his already large