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Secondary sourcePainting1360

Saint Karel Veliký

Theodoric of Prague · 1360

A 14th-century panel painting by Theodoric of Prague depicting Charlemagne as a saint, part of a royal gallery honoring him as a model ruler.

This 1360 painting shows Charlemagne idealized as a saintly ruler, a model invoked by later Holy Roman Emperors.

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Painted panel of a bearded, crowned man with grey hair and a gold halo, wearing a red robe. He holds a gold orb in one hand and a gold scepter in the other. A gold shield with a black double-headed eagle rests in front of him. The panel has an ornate orange-brown frame.
Theodoric of Prague, Saint Charlemagne, 1360. National Gallery, Prague.

About this source

What it is

This is a panel painting from 1360 by Theodoric of Prague, court painter to Emperor Charles IV. It shows Charlemagne depicted as a saint, with a crown, orb and scepter. The painting was made for the Chapel of the Holy Cross at Karlštejn Castle and is now held by the National Gallery in Prague.

Why it matters

Charles IV traced his lineage back to Charlemagne and saw him as a model of a just ruler. By placing Charlemagne among a row of rulers and treating him almost like a saint, Charles IV used Charlemagne's image to strengthen his own authority as Holy Roman Emperor. The painting shows how later rulers reshaped Charlemagne's memory for their own political purposes.

Look closer

  • Why might a 14th-century emperor want to show Charlemagne as a saint rather than just a king?
  • What symbols in the painting connect Charlemagne to imperial power?
  • What does this tell us about how later generations used historical figures?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Charlemagne on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Woodcut title page with the heading 'VITA ET GESTA KAROLI MAGNI' and labels 'KAROLVS I' and 'KAROLVS V'. Two standing crowned men in robes are depicted, one bearded and one with a scepter, flanked by coats of arms and decorative borders, with 'CVM PRIVILEGIO IMPERIALI' at the bottom.Book

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Vita Karoli Magni

Einhard · c. 817-833

Manuscript page in Latin handwriting, black ink with red rubricated headings, on aged parchment. Text includes the entry for the year 814 and the red closing line 'Finiunt gesta domni Karoli magni et praecellentissimi Francorum imperatoris'.Document

Primary source

Royal Frankish Annals

741-829, this manuscript c. 900

Letter

Primary source

De litteris colendis

Charlemagne · late 780s-800s

Scanned manuscript page of medieval Latin handwriting in brown ink on aged, yellowed parchment, written in a dense column with some marginal annotations on the left. The text is the Admonitio generalis.Document

Primary source

Admonitio generalis

Charlemagne · 23 March 789

Scanned page of a medieval manuscript in brown ink on yellowed parchment, with a red-ink heading at top and three columns of Latin words listed line by line, likely the chapter 70 list of plants of the Capitulare de villis.Document

Primary source

Capitulare de villis

c. 771-800

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