Europe in 814: The Age of Charlemagne
Europe in 814, the year of Charlemagne's death, showing the Frankish (Carolingian) Empire alongside the Byzantine Empire, the Emirate of Córdoba, the Bulgars and the Slavic and steppe peoples.
By 814, the year Charlemagne died, the Frankish Empire he had built spanned much of Western and Central Europe, from the Pyrenees to the Elbe and down into Italy — enough for the pope to crown him "Emperor of the Romans" in 800. This map sets his realm beside its neighbours: the resurgent Byzantine Empire in the east, the Emirate of Córdoba in Iberia, the Bulgar khanate under Krum, and the Slavic and Avar lands between. It is a clear snapshot of the political order that would shape medieval Europe. The revival of learning at his court is explored in the Carolingian Renaissance.
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