Charlemagne was also known by another name, Charles the Great. Like many other greats, he was given the title "great" because of the things he accomplished and his impact on history. To fully understand this impact, we must examine his rise to power, the empire he built, and the scar he left on Europe. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay In most cases, emperors and kings inherit their kingdoms from their fathers before them. However, due to an old Frankish tradition, Charlemagne only inherited part of his father's kingdom, the other part being inherited by his brother Carloman. Historical articles differ as to who inherited most of the kingdom. Some think it was Carloman because his kingdom was manageable and stable, and some think it was Charlemagne because his share of the kingdom was larger. One thing is true, even if Charlemagne had more difficulty managing his lands; as a large part was still newly constituted, once he took control, he encountered a revolt, "very difficult to suppress". To further add to his difficulties, tensions between him and his brother were increasing, reaching a level where war seemed a possibility. This caused Charlemagne to seek an advantage over his brother, something that would guarantee his victory. Eventually, he would turn to Desiderius, king of the Lombards, taking the king's daughter as his wife. However, fortunately for him, the threat of war would later subside when his brother fell ill and died in 771. His father's previously divided kingdom would be whole again under the reign of Charlemagne. Charlemagne now possesses the physical means to launch all kinds of military conquests. Knowing this very well, he aims to realize his ambition, an ambition that will lead him into numerous military campaigns. Charlemagne wanted to unite the Germanic people under one banner and one religion, Christianity. His most notable and longest military actions were against the Saxons. For three decades (772-804), Charlemagne waged war against the Saxons determined to conquer them and convert them to Christianity. The Franks fought many fierce battles against the Saxon forces with few defeats, but the Saxons held firm and refused to give up easily. This caused the Franks to take drastic measures. They annexed vast tracts of land between the Rhine and Elbe, pillaged, took hostages, committed massacres, deported rebels, and even pursued Saxon allies, all to force them to accept Christianity. Yet Charlemagne didn't stop with the Saxons, in fact he led several other campaigns simultaneously against other kingdoms. In 773, the pope asked him for help against his own ally, the Lombards. The pope had greater influence and was more useful to Charlemagne than Desiderius, king of the Lombards. This prompted Charlemagne to divorce his wife and usurp the crown and lands of Desiderius, thus forging an alliance with Rome. But Charlemagne's thirst for expansion was not yet quenched. Later, in 788, he annexed Bavaria, an act which brought him face to face with another adversary of the Avars. The Avars were a group of Asian nomads who came together to form a vast empire; by 796, the empire would disintegrate and Charlemagne would claim much of it and convert many subjects to Christianity. Although his many successful major military campaigns are indeed impressive, he had his share of failures..