He was crowned Emperor in Rome in the year 800.

His successors clung to this claim; but the Frankish Empire soon fell to pieces.

In its partition the western half formed what afterwards became France, and the East Frankish part of the Empire became the later Germany.

While the Germans in the West Frankish Empire, in Italy and Spain, had abandoned their speech and customs, and had gradually amalgamated with the Romans, the inhabitants of the East Frankish Empire, especially the Saxons and their neighbouring tribes, maintained their Germanic characteristics, language, and customs.

A powerful German [A] kingdom arose which renewed the claims of Charles the Great to the Western Roman Empire.