Charlemagne was a fascinating and complex individual. He was an ingenious military strategist, a wise but ruthless leader, a cunning politician, and a devout Christian who joined the military might of his army to the spiritual force of the Church in Rome to forge Western Christendom.

Charlemagne: A Biography by Derek Wilson is not so much a biography as an interesting combination of biography, historical, mythological and political analysis that puts Charlemagne into the context of broader European history up to the present day. Wilson divided his book into three parts: Charlemagne the Man, Charlemagne the Emperor, and Charlemagne the Myth.

The book begins by providing a short history of Europe, up until the time of Charlemagne's birth, then discusses Charlemagne in the context of his own life - his successes and failures, his relationship with his family, subjects, academics, enemies and the church. The story continues with Charlemagne's immediate successors and the division of his empire. This is a story full of political and religious intrigue, barbarian invasions, and military actions. Wilson tries to separate the real Charlemagne from the mythological Charlemagne with some success. The last third of the book analyses the historical impact of the Charlemagne mythos, which (according to Derek Wilson) was important for the concept of "Europe" and ultimately the unification of Europe in its various forms, to the current European Union.

Even though it contains a lot of information (with maps and colour plates), the book is rather short and would have benefited from additional details regarding Charlemagne's personal life, military campaigns and methods, trials and tribulations in implementing state/ governmental policies. However, I'm assuming this is due to the lack of contemporary sources.

Despite its faults, this book will make an interesting and informative read for someone who does not know much about the subject and is interested in Charlemagne, his legacy and the development of modern Europe. This book provides a well written portrait of Charlemagne and of the intricate political, religious, and cultural world he dominated. ( )

I understand the problem of writing a biography of Charlemagne -- the man left no written records, his official biographer wrote what was essentially a propaganda piece, etc. So reliable sources are hard to come by, meaning that the book by necessity will be full of analysis and attempts to establish facts. That's not really the problem. The problem is that this particular book is rather shallow, cursory, with rather uninspired commentary by the author. It's just sort of ... boring. I'm sure that even with the scarcity of sources, there must be more interesting biographies of Charlemagne out there.

Two other gripes about the book: it's in dire need of good maps. Preferably in the beginning or the end of the volume, so they can be easily found. There are a few maps in there, but most of them either have no cities or are not particularly helpful at all. The second problem is that the author likes to refer to pages the reader has not read yet. You are on page 90, and suddenly the author says '(see page 100-101)'. Really, that's inconvenient. Wouldn't it be better to explain whatever it is you want to explain now, and then refer BACK to it when we make it to page 100? ( )

This is an excellent biography of Charlemagne. Beyond that, the author does a good job of showing how the short-lived Carolingian empire lies behind many more efforts over the centuries to consolidate the core of Europe, culminating now into the European Union. This book illustrates the Christian faith that lay behind many of Charlemagne's initiatives, as well as his strengths as a military leader. He lays out the information as we have it, not all of it entirely accurate, as the myth of Charlemagne is very strong. He had multiple wives and his children were not always up to the astuteness of the father. ( )

A very interesting account of the life and Empire of this early Medieval ruler and how his legacy has lived on in myth and in the attitudes and outlook of many rulers since. A whole third of the book is devoted to Charlemagne's legacy and recounts the history of Western Europe ever since in terms of that legacy. I thought this was perhaps a bit overdone, while making many interesting points. A very good look into the essence of West European history and its relations with the world outside its borders. ( )

Wilson’s life of Charlemagne is as illuminating as it is scholarly. It is hard to imagine any documents surviving from the eighth and ninth centuries, but Wildon manages to cull them all together to put forth a fully integrated and enthralling view of pre-Medieval Europe. Not only does he tell Charlemagne’s life, but he also shows how the legacy of the King of the Franks guided and shaped the ambitions of many leaders to follow—Charles V, Louis XIV, and even Napoleon Bonaparte. He evens manages a slight dig at Bush. A little dense but ultimately rewarding. ( )