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751
Charlemagne's father Pepin is declared king, beginning what would later be called the Carolingian dynasty
768
Upon the death of Pepin, the Kingdom of Francia is divided between Charles and his brother Carloman
771
Carloman dies; Charles becomes sole ruler
772
Charlemagne makes his first raid on the Saxons, which is a success; but this was just the beginning of an extended struggle against the decentralized pagan tribes
774
Charlemagne conquers Lombardy and becomes King of the Lombards
777
Construction on a palace in Aachen begins
778
An unsuccessful siege of Saragossa, Spain, is followed by an ambush of Charlemagne's retreating army by the Basques at Roncesvalles (Song of Roland)
781
Charles makes a pilgrimage to Rome and has his son, Pepin proclaimed King of Italy; here he meets Alcuin, who agrees to come to Charlemagne's court
782
In response to recent attacks by Saxon leader Widukind, Charlemagne reportedly has 4,500 Saxon prisoners executed en masse
787
Charles launches his educational plan by ordering bishops and abbots to open schools near their churches and monasteries
788
Charlemagne takes control of Bavaria, bringing all the territory of the Germanic tribes into one political unit
791-796
Charlemagne conducts a series of campaigns against the Avars
796
Construction on the cathedral in Aachen begins
799
Pope Leo III is attacked in the streets of Rome and flees to Charlemagne for protection. The king gets him safely back to Rome
800
Charlemagne comes to Rome to oversee a synod where Leo clears himself of the charges laid on him by his enemies. At Christamas mass, Leo crowns Charlemagne emperor
804
The Saxon wars finally come to an end
812
Byzantine emperor Michael I acknowledges Charlemagne as emperor, though not as "Roman" emperor, providing official power to the power Carles already wielded in fact
813
Charles delegates imperial power to Louis, his last surviving legitimate son
814
Charlemagne dies in Aachen