# Death of Charlemagne (814)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/814-death-of-charlemagne
Location: Aachen
Categories: ruler-change

Louis the Pious inherited the empire after Charlemagne’s death. Within the broader Frankish Kingdoms period, Merovingian and Carolingian rulers built large Frankish realms over former Roman Gaul. Conversion, aristocratic power, church institutions and imperial expansion laid foundations for medieval France. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Louis the Pious (Emperor; King of the Franks). Death of Charlemagne mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Death of Charlemagne mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy.

Ruler at the time: [Louis the Pious](https://history-france.com/rulers/louis-the-pious)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Death of Charlemagne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Death+of+Charlemagne&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Death of Charlemagne](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Death+of+Charlemagne)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of French history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_French_history)