Charlemagne

Gabriele Wengler’s three-part 2013 miniseries, centering on the titular Frankish king who became the first medieval Western emperor in 800 A.D., is an odd hybrid. Much of it consists of speculative dramatic re-enactments of historical episodes: Pippin the Great’s seizure of the Frankish crown from the Merovingian ruler he served; the division of the realm between Charlemagne and his brother Carloman and the ensuing hostility between them until Carloman’s death, after which Charlemagne drove his nephews into exile and reunited the kingdom; Charlemagne’s wars against Lombards in Italy, Saxons in Germany, and Moslems in Spain; his attempts to revive learning in what was called the Carolingian Renaissance; his crowning as emperor by a pope he had saved from being dethroned; and the weakening of the empire under his sons. These episodes are dramatized as the memories of his biographer, the monk Einhard, who dictates them to a young novice, and are presented in German with English subtitles, although they are introduced by a narrator speaking English who also occasionally interrupts to add documentary digressions about such matters as Frankish armor, important medieval manuscripts in various monastic libraries, and the creation of the calligraphic script known as the "Carolingian minuscule." Also added are excerpts from interviews with historians (in English, French, and German). Together these elements make for a reasonably good portrait—benefiting from impressive production values and solid performances (especially by Alexander Wüst in the title role)—that covers Charlemagne’s flaws as well as his accomplishments. Recommended. (F. Swietek)