Pope Leo III

Pope from 795 to 816, Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor in Rome on Christmas Day 800, strengthening the alliance between the papacy and Frankish power.

Charlemagne: King of the Franks and Lombards who became emperor in 800 and united much of western Europe. Leo crowned him emperor in Rome, linking his imperial title to papal authority.
Coronation of Charlemagne: The ceremony in Rome on Christmas Day 800 in which Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor. It was the defining public act of Leo's pontificate.
Hadrian I: Pope from 772 to 795 whose long alliance with Charlemagne shaped relations between Rome and the Franks. Leo succeeded Hadrian amid continuing disputes over papal territory and Frankish influence.
Papal States: Territories in central Italy ruled by the pope from the eighth century until Italian unification. Leo governed a territorial principality whose security depended on relations with Frankish rulers.
Carolingian Empire: The Frankish empire ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, reaching its greatest extent under Charlemagne. Leo's coronation helped establish the empire's claim to renewed western Roman authority.
Accusation against Pope Leo III: The 799 attack on Leo by Roman opponents, who accused him of serious moral and political offenses. The assault drove Leo to seek Charlemagne's protection and helped precipitate the emperor's visit to Rome.
Alcuin: An English scholar and cleric who advised Charlemagne and helped shape Carolingian intellectual and religious life. His letters discussed the political and religious implications of Leo's coronation.
Papal coronation: A religious ceremony in which a pope formally crowns a ruler, giving sacred expression to political authority. Leo's act made the imperial title a public, liturgical event in Rome.
Holy Roman Empire: A Central European polity whose rulers claimed the legacy of the Roman Empire and were crowned by popes for centuries. The 800 coronation became a precedent for later imperial-papal ceremonies.
Paderborn: A city in present-day Germany where Charlemagne met Pope Leo III in 799. Leo appealed to Charlemagne there after fleeing the attack in Rome.

Linked from 7 pages