Einhard

Einhard was a Frankish courtier and scholar best known for writing the Life of Charlemagne, a biography composed after the emperor’s death.

Charlemagne: Charlemagne was king of the Franks and Lombards and emperor in western Europe from 800 until his death in 814. Einhard served Charlemagne and made him the subject of his most famous work.
Vita Karoli Magni: The Vita Karoli Magni is Einhard’s Latin biography of Charlemagne, written after the emperor’s death in 814. This is Einhard’s best-known work and the main source for his reputation.
Louis the Pious: Louis the Pious was Charlemagne’s son and successor as emperor, ruling from 814 to 840. Einhard remained a court figure under the ruler who succeeded Charlemagne.
Royal Frankish Annals: The Royal Frankish Annals are a contemporary record of political and military events under the Carolingian rulers. Their year-by-year record differs from Einhard’s character-focused biography.
Carolingian Renaissance: The Carolingian Renaissance was a revival of learning and literary production under the Frankish rulers of the eighth and ninth centuries. Einhard’s scholarship belonged to the court culture that this revival fostered.
Roman biography: Roman biography is the literary tradition of recounting an individual’s character, public career, and private life. Einhard modeled his portrait of Charlemagne on classical biographical writing.
Gisela of the Frankish Empire: Gisela was a Frankish noblewoman and the sister of Charlemagne. Einhard’s later correspondence and religious projects connected him to Charlemagne’s family.
Thegan of Trier: Thegan of Trier was a ninth-century cleric who wrote a biography of Louis the Pious. Thegan’s treatment of a later emperor offers a contrasting Carolingian model of biography.
Carolingian dynasty: The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish ruling family that governed much of western Europe from the eighth to the tenth century. Einhard’s career unfolded within the dynasty’s political and intellectual world.
Suetonius: Suetonius was a Roman biographer whose Lives of the Caesars portray emperors through their deeds, habits, and character. Einhard’s structure and character sketches closely draw on Suetonius’s imperial biographies.

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