How long did Charlemagne's Empire last?

Answer 1

Charlemagne (also called Charles the Great), was the king of the Franks (a Germanic tribe) from 768 until his death in 814. The land of the Franks roughly coincided with modern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and parts of western Germany. In the course of his reign he conquered numerous lands and tribes including Lombardy, Saxony, and Bavaria and came to effectively control most of modern Germany, Switzerland, and northern Italy as well. In recognition of his military achievements, as well as his patronage of the Roman Catholic Church, he was given the symbolic title "Emperor of the Romans" by the Pope in 800.

The empire that he founded is generally known today as the Carolingian Empire and it lasted until 888. The Carolingians did not practice the later European royal principle of primogeniture where the oldest son inherits everything. After Charlemagne's death the empire had been divided and re divided several times amongst regional rulers who were typically Charlemange's descendents. Despite this it had remained a more or less unified state under the Emperor. The Emperor was the main line heir of Chalemange officially ruling over the various parts of the empire controlled by his nephews, cousins, and younger brothers. In reality the regional rulers gained more and more power over the years.

The empire was divided for the last time in 887 under Emperor Charles the Fat, Charlemagne's great grandson. Charles the Fat was both physically and mentally weak and his inability to defend the empire from the Vikings led to unrest among the regional rulers. This last division among six of Charlemagne's heirs fatally weakened the cohesion of the empire and it quickly splintered into several competing states upon Charles the Fat's death in January 888.