![]() ![]() Using Christianity, Latin and literacy as instruments of soft power, he began turning these lands into a single cultural and commercial realm. At his death in 814, he controlled what today are France, Germany, the Low Countries and northern Italy he had overrun central Europe as far east as Hungary. Objectively as well as symbolically, Charlemagne was a pivotal figure in his continent’s history. But what if Europe’s historical heart lies south of the Alps? Heirs and traces It suited the founders of Europe’s post-war institutions to showcase Aachen, a city close to the intersection of Germany, France and the Benelux lands. ![]() In the modern era he has become a symbol of peaceful European unity. Over the centuries, Charlemagne has been enlisted as a figurehead of rival nations and ideologies. ![]() “It is one of the many secrets of this part of the world,” says Marco Rotunno, a veteran guide to the Marche region, where the church stands.Įccentric as this claim may sound, its ramifications are far from trivial. They cheekily challenge the firm consensus which ascribes that distinction to Aachen in north-west Germany. To be precise, they believe this numinous spot was the headquarters of the conquering monarch-the place where he held court between wars, built a personal chapel and left his earthly remains. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |