The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire / Table of Contents with links in the HTML file to the two Project Gutenberg editions (12 volumes) · Chapter 221
Coronation of Charlemagne
On Christmas Day 800 CE, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Emperor of the Romans in St. Peter's Basilica, formally reviving the Western imperial title and asserting papal authority over imperial legitimacy.
Outcome
The coronation deepened the rift between East and West, established the precedent of papal coronation of emperors, and inaugurated the Carolingian Renaissance.
Who was there
Charlemagne- Pope Leo III