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Secondary sourceArtifact1215

Shrine of Charlemagne

1215

A gold reliquary made to hold Charlemagne's relics after he was canonised, showing how he was later venerated as a saint-emperor.

This shrine was built to hold Charlemagne's own relics after his canonisation, showing his later cult as a saint-emperor.

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A gilded reliquary shrine in a glass display case in a church. Its roof and sides are decorated with gold, jewels, and enamel panels, and the front shows seated and standing figures under arches. Stained glass windows are behind it.
Karlsschrein, reliquary shrine of Charlemagne, 1215. Aachen Cathedral.

About this source

What it is

The Karlsschrein is a gilded shrine made in 1215 to hold the relics of Charlemagne, after Emperor Frederick Barbarossa had him declared a saint. It is decorated with gold, jewels and enamel panels showing seated and standing figures, and is kept in a church, displayed in a glass case.

Why it matters

The shrine shows how, centuries after his death, Charlemagne was turned into a holy figure as well as a political one. Frederick Barbarossa's push for his canonisation linked Barbarossa's own rule to Charlemagne's legendary authority, showing how later rulers used Charlemagne's memory for their own purposes.

Look closer

  • Why might a later emperor want his predecessor declared a saint?
  • What do the materials used (gold, jewels, enamel) tell you about how important this object was meant to look?
  • What is the difference between honouring a ruler and honouring a saint?

This artifact 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.

More Charlemagne sources

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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

Secondary source

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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