From
Einhard; François Guizot; Jules Michelet; Charlemagne; historiography; civilization; civilizational discourse.
This research investigates the role of Charlemagne in the historiographical and political
civilizational discourse. The emperor of the Franks was co-opted to affirm transnational
national identities, influencing European historiography. Three historians are fundamental to
this analysis: Einhard (Vita Karoli), François Guizot (Histoire générale de la civilisation en
Europe), and Jules Michelet (Histoire de France). Einhard created an idealized image of
Charlemagne, which resonated in the 19th century, a time of intense debates on civilization.
Historians like Guizot and Michelet applied this concept to the medieval period, highlighting
Charlemagne in their works. The study examines how his image was constructed and used as a
symbol of civilization, and it explores the formulation of the concept in historiography.
Elevated to an authoritative status, the concept strengthened European discourses in the 20th
and 21st centuries, in both nationalist and supranationalist strands. The former advocates for
ethnic purity, while the latter uses the Middle Ages to legitimize a unified European identity,
with Charlemagne as a symbol, as evidenced by the Charlemagne Prize. The research also
discusses how the 19th-century civilizational discourse echoed in later political discourses.