Charlemagne: From Pavia to Aachen

In 773 Charlemagne marched into Italy against the Lombard king Desiderius, who held Pavia. He brought his wife Hildegard and their child to the camp at Pavia. The Lombards surrendered the city by June 774. Charlemagne deposed Desiderius and took the title of King of the Lombards.

場所の精度: The sources place the siege at Pavia but name no single spot, so the pin marks the city.

In 777 he built a castle near the Paderborn springs and held an assembly of Frankish and Saxon men, attended by envoys from al-Andalus. In 799 Pope Leo III, fleeing his enemies in Rome, reached the town and met him there. As early as 777 the palace had an attached church.

場所の精度: The sources don't locate Charlemagne's palace exactly; the pin marks Paderborn Cathedral.

Leaving Spain in 778, Charlemagne tore down the walls of the Basque capital Iruña, then marched for the mountain pass. On the evening of 15 August his rearguard, which included Roland, was attacked as it crossed the pass. The Basques held the high ground and knew the terrain. The exact site is unknown; scholars have suggested places from Navarre to Catalonia, and the mainstream view puts it near Roncevaux.

場所の精度: The battle site is disputed; the pin marks Roncesvalles, the mainstream candidate area.

Leo III swore an oath on 23 December 800 declaring his innocence of all charges. Two days later, at mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Day, he proclaimed Charlemagne "emperor of the Romans". The ceremony took place in Old St. Peter's, the basilica of that time.

訪問のヒント: St. Peter's Basilica is in Vatican City.

Charlemagne began building the chapel around 792, with the rest of his palace. Its plan owes much to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. Pope Leo III consecrated it in 805. Charlemagne died in 814 and was buried here, in his imperial capital. Holy Roman Emperors were later crowned in the chapel until 1531. The chapel is now part of Aachen Cathedral.

訪問のヒント: The Palatine Chapel is now part of Aachen Cathedral.