by Wendy Dwyer

According to many well-respected historians, April 1, 748 AD, is the birth date of our favorite Frankish Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne. The man who united France, Germany, and Northern Italy would be 1261 years old today. Since two Ink & Paper Group upcoming titles—Desiderata, by Judy Ferro, and Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland, by Alexis E. Fajardo—are set in the time of Charlemagne, we have chosen this month to salute him for his contributions to the western world.

You may know that Charlemagne established money reforms and scholarship that shaped Western Europe into the place we know today, but did you know that Charlemagne was said to have a disproportionately large neck? (Yes, I’m serious.) To learn more about his life, loves, and personal traits, check out Wikipedia’s Charlemagne / Karolus Magnus article.

If you would like an abbreviated summary of Charlemagne’s achievements, take a peek at Reportret: gallery of reconstructed portraits.

Vanderbilt University’s site includes a good map of Charlemagne’s Empire.

And of course, keep an eye out for Desiderata and Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland, scheduled for release in May 2009.